On this year’s Miners’ Day, we recall the largest mining disaster in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which occurred in 1990 at the Mramor Mine near Tuzla. A total of 180 miners lost their lives. Only one survived – Smajl Imamovic.
When Smajl Imamovic entered the Dobrnja Jug pit of the Mramor Mine near Tuzla with his fellow miners 34 years ago, descending hundreds of meters deep, he could never have imagined that August 26th, 1990, would be a date he would remember for the rest of his life.
“Right here, at this very spot, at the entrance, I was returning from the pit when the tragedy struck me in a bypass corridor,” he recalls.
An explosion of coal dust claimed the lives of 180 miners, whose average age was just 25. Smajl’s fortune amid the tragedy, he tells us, was that clinical death saved him – he didn’t inhale the toxic gases before the rescuers reached him. The only thing he remembers is a light green glow.
“When I came to my senses in the Gradina hospital, I didn’t realize I had second-and third-degree burns or that I had experienced trauma and an illness you can never overcome while you’re alive.”
After recovering, Imamovic returned to the mine and took on other duties, retiring from there last year. What pains him the most is that working conditions, particularly at this mine, remain difficult.
“Absolutely nothing has changed. It’s still pickaxes and shovels – and work.”
Although working conditions in the mines are still far from ideal, internal reorganization of work has shown positive results this year. However, the life and job of a miner have never been easy. Miners are the ones who earn their bread through grueling labor, often referred to as “bread with seven crusts,” a phrase that speaks volumes about the hardship of their work.
“It’s not seven crusts. I’d double it. Fourteen crusts.”
Despite harsh working conditions, the situation in all seven mines operating within the concern has been stable this year. Increased production has been recorded in the year nearing its end, and plans for the upcoming year include significant advancements through multi-million investments in safety and equipment for the mines, Klix.ba writes.
Photo: A.K./Klix.ba
