During the completed rescue operation, the rescue workers, in accordance with the action plan, narrowed the size of the sealed off region up to the mining pits located closer to longwall N-6 by building two insulation seals using chemical foam. The work on building the seals began only after the mining pits had been aired out and the mine atmosphere had been made safe for rescuer workers.
A total of 90 rescue teams took part in the rescue operation, including 86 from the mines of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa and 4 teams from the Central Mine Rescue Station in Bytom.
The work on narrowing the sealed-off area of longwall N-6 and the penetration of the unsealed N-6 ramp ended the first stage of the search operation. Additional work to restore the functionality of the N-6 ramp, from where, according to one of the variants of the operation, the mine will build a 350-meter mining pit perpendicular to the N-6 longwall enabling rescue workers to reach the missing miners safely. This phase of the operation is to be carried out on a preventive basis and may take between four and six months.
