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Two injured after fire traps 130 workers in Swedish mine

TT/The Local
TT/The Local - [email protected]
Two injured after fire traps 130 workers in Swedish mine
A fire engine is pictured at Garpenberg mine during a previous incident. File photo: Henrik Hansson / TT

Around 130 people were trapped in a mine in central Sweden after a fire broke out 850 metres below the surface.

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By Thursday afternoon, the fire had been extinguished and two people reported injured in the incident.

The fire broke out around 2pm at the Garpenberg mine in Dalarna. Shortly before 4pm the company running the mine, Boliden, said that all 130 people had been taken out of the mine.

"We are now focusing on ensuring all our employees are kept updated, feel OK and feel secure in the situation," head of information at Boliden Klas Nilsson said.

He said the cause of the fire was a machine that began to smoke. Police do not suspect any crime related to the incident.

Robert Sundin, an emergency response officer in southern Dalarna, said that those who were working in the mine went to rescue chambers when the alarm was raised about the fire.

"Emergency services, together with Boliden's own fire service, have been down and looked at the scene, and confirmed that everything is extinguished," he confirmed. 

Two people were reported to have sustained minor injuries in connection with the fire. 

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