Vulcan - An explosion deep in a Romanian coal pit yesterday killed 14 miners and injured two others in the worst accident in the ailing local mining industry in 15 years.
A blast caused by a gas leak killed the men, aged between 20 and 43 years, 350 metres underground in the Jiu Valley, Romania's richest coal basin, local officials said.
The accident occurred near the small town of Vulcan, 400 km west of Bucharest, in the heart of a mining area known for poor working conditions and for the militancy of the labour force.
Sobbing wives and relatives of the dead men gathered at the mine to await the recovery of the bodies.