RUHR MINE TRAGEDY
55 Men Killed; 41 Injured EXPLOSION AND FIRE (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9.30 p.m.) BERLIN, May 21. Fifty-five miners were killed and 41 injured yesterday morning, when an explosion occurred in a coalmine at Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen, in the Ruhr. Some of the injured are not expected to live. They were badly burned, and arc suffering from gas fumes. The explosion occurred at the bottom of a 2700-foot-deep mine. A fire which broke out hampered rescue work. The cause of the explosion is not yet known, but it is believed to have been an accumulation of firedamp. Only 20 minutes before the explosion, a safety crew had inspected the mine and declared it safe. News of the disaster brought weeping wives and mothers to the pit shaft. One household heard that four of its members were dead. Fire-fighting units from many parts of the Ruhi- were rushed to the scene. Late last night, the fire still roared through the mine.
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Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26118, 22 May 1950, Page 7
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161RUHR MINE TRAGEDY Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26118, 22 May 1950, Page 7
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