Bulgarian Cabinet to pay 130 000 leva to relatives of Oranovo miners’ relatives, rescuers
Bulgaria’s Cabinet approved on August 7 the payment of one-off aid to the relatives of miners who died in the Oranovo mine incident last month, as well as bonuses to the miners who participated in the 18-day-long rescue efforts.
A total of about 100 000 leva (about 51 000 euro) will be split among 216 rescue workers “for personal bravery in the execution of their public and civic duty,” the Government’s media service said. The list of rescue workers will be drafted by the Economy Ministry, the statement said.
Separately, 10 000 leva will be given to the relatives of the two miners who died in the Oranovo mine collapse, whose bodies were found under the rubble on August 2. The Government earlier said that it would give the same amount to the relatives of the other two mines who died in the incident, whose bodies were recovered from the start.
The same amount would be given to the relatives of the man who died at Oranovo in an unrelated incident from a heart attack – he was an electrician who went into another part of the mine to oversee the replacement of an electric motor.
The collapse of the mine walls early on the morning of July 16 at the Oranovo coalmine in south-western Bulgaria was the fourth major accident at the mine in the past eight years. The accident took place about a kilometre deep into the mine.
In the wake of the accident, Bulgaria’s Economy Minister Dragomir Stoynev said that the mine had been working without an operations plan approved by the Economy Ministry, as required by its concession contract.
In an address to Parliament on August 2, Stoynev said that he ordered the creation of a task force that would be asked to review and update current mine safety regulations.
(Photo: John Nyberg/sxc.hu)
