Three Workers Die in Spanish Potash Mine Collapse

SURIA, Spain (Reuters) – Three workers were killed in an underground collapse in a potash mine in northeastern Spain early on Thursday, regional union USOC said.

The collapse at the mine in the town of Suria happened just before 9 a.m., about 900 meters underground, firefighters said, without going into further details.

“We want to send our deepest condolences to the families of the three colleagues who lost their lives this morning doing their work,” USOC said.

Tel Aviv-based ICL Group Ltd, whose subsidiary Iberpotash operates the mine, said there had been an “unfortunate underground accident,” in a statement released before the deaths were announced.

The mine is about 80 km (50 miles) north of Barcelona in the region of Catalonia.

“I want to give all the support to the families of the miners affected and also to all of their colleagues at the mine in Suria,” Pere Aragones, Catalonia’s regional president, told local parliament.

In December 2013 Iberpotash said two of its workers died after a mine collapse in Suria.

Potash is used as a fertilizer in agriculture and as a raw material in industries such as pharmaceutical, explosives, glassmaking and chemicals.