Two days of mourning in central Catalonia town after mining accident kills three

The central Catalonia town of Súria, in the Bages county, has declared two official days of mourning following the deadly mining accident on Thursday morning that killed three geologists in the Cabanasses potash mine.

The three ICL Iberia workers, all of whom were in their late twenties to early thirties, were trapped in a landslide at around 650 meters below ground level. Officials had initially stated that the accident had occurred at a depth of 900 meters.

No problems were detected at the Súria mine in the last inspection, which took place only three weeks ago. 

One of the victims was from the nearby town of Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, another was from Vinaròs, just across the Catalan border with the Valencia region, and the third was Colombian. 

Two of them were also master's students at the UPC university in Manresa, while the third was an intern at ICL Iberia.

Their bodies were rescued Thursday evening after firefighter crews were able to successfully secure the surroundings. 

Although the authorities said they "feared the worse" right after the accident, their deaths were not officially pronounced until their bodies were recovered hours later. 

"Unfortunately, I must confirm the death of three young people while they were working in the mine," Catalan president Pere Aragonès said from Súria.

"The first thing we want to do is express our condolences to their families."

Minute's silence

A minute of silence was held on Friday at midday at the mining monument beside the town's Salipota bridge, while all council activities have been canceled until Sunday.

Dozens of people gathered in memory of the three workers who lost their lives. Flowers were laid at the monument and the song 'El cant dels ocells' ('The song of the birds') was played.

The president of the ICL works committee, David Sibila, said that it is "not appropriate" to get into the causes of the accident today because "it is a day of mourning."

The general secretary of trade union UGT, Josep Maria Álvarez, demanded that an investigation get "to the bottom" of why the accident occurred, and that "every measure be taken so that it does not happen again."

Álvarez regretted that it was a "tragic" accident but pointed out that "behind work accidents, there is always some deficiency that could have been avoided."

In a statement, the ICL-Súria workers committee expressed its "deepest condolences" to the victims' families and their colleagues. "As is usual in these cases, all activities at our facilities have been suspended as a sign of mourning," the workers said.

The mayor of Súria, Albert Coberó, said that the accident has "shaken" the town that has a "mining essence."

Presidency minister Laura Vilagrà and the government delegate for central Catalonia, Montserrat Barniol, were also present for the ceremony.

Previous mining accidents

In Bages county, other fatal accidents were seen in mines in 2013, when 3 workers died, and in 2015, when there was one fatality at the Vilafruns mine in Balsareny.

The last accident was in 2020 when two workers died also in the Balsareny mine.