Luisenthal mine disaster
The Luisenthal mine disaster was one of the worst mining accidents in German history and the worst in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany . In an explosion in the Luisenthal coal mine in Saarland on February 7, 1962, 299 miners were killed.
The Luisenthal mine
The coal mine in the Luisenthal district of Völklingen has existed since the early 1800s. First flame coal , later fat coal was extracted. The main production shafts were the Richard I and Richard II plants in Luisenthal. The Alsbachfeld below the Saarbrücken district of Burbach with the Alsbach shaft there also belonged to the mining network .
Due to the high concentration of mine gas in the seams, the Luisenthal mine was considered very susceptible to firedamp explosions . From 1904 to 1954 there were 20 fires and explosions in the mine. In 1941, 41 miners were killed in an explosion. Due to this situation, the mine was equipped with the most modern technology and consequently recognized for its high safety standards.
The misfortune
During the early shift on February 7, 1962, 664 miners were working in Alsbachfeld. Against 7:45 occurred in Alsbachfeld in a depth of over 600 meters in an explosion which raised, among others, the manhole cover of Alsbachschachts into the air so that it is in the headframe wedged. 299 miners were killed in the explosion or as a result. Some of those who died underground were burned beyond recognition. 73 miners were injured, some with severe burns and torn lungs.
The cause of the explosion is still unclear. It was speculated, among other things, whether a miner had illegally smoked underground, because cigarettes were found during the clean-up work. A defective miner's lamp was also named as a possible cause. Today it is assumed that a coal dust explosion occurred as a result of a primary firedamp explosion .
The consequences
As a direct consequence of the accident, there was a wave of willingness to help the bereaved, including from abroad. The Bergmannshilfswerk Luisenthal Foundation was set up to provide long-term support for the bereaved .
A memorial with a statue of St. Barbara , the patron saint of miners, is located near the now disused mine . A wall association made of 299 stones with continuous niches for placing memorial candles symbolizes the 299 victims of the accident. The monument was made by the artist Lothar Meßner (1926–2019) from Wadgassen . The original of Barbara statue already in 1955 made by him is now on the slag heap Monte Barbara in Bexbach .
Web links
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- ↑ a b Christoph Gunkel: Hell of fire at a depth of 600 meters. (No longer available online.) In: Der Spiegel . January 6, 2012, formerly in the original ; accessed on August 11, 2016 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Oliver Kühn: Deadly starry sky in the shaft. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . January 6, 2012, accessed August 11, 2016 .
- ↑ Directory of foundations under civil law with legal capacity based in Saarland (p. 21 f.), Saarland.de , accessed on August 11, 2016 ( PDF) ( Memento of the original from August 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was used automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
