8 killed in Serbia coal mine accident

BELGRADE, Serbia

At least eight miners were killed and 30 others injured on Friday morning in a coal mine accident in Serbia.

Serbian state television reported that a part of the pit collapsed in the Soko mine near Sokobanja town in the country's east.

According to the report, there was a methane gas explosion that brought down parts of the mine shaft leaving some miners trapped.

A total of 65 miners were rescued.

More than 20 others were injured, said Rodoljub Zivadinovic, the director of the Aleksinac Health Center where the miners were brought for treatment.

All non-emergency operations have been canceled, said Goran Vidic, the director of the General Hospital Aleksinac, another hospital in the region.

"The situation here is difficult, there are also relatives, people are upset. Unfortunately, this is not our first accident. Aleksinac and its surroundings are known for that, it has happened again now," said Vidic.

A rescue operation is underway as it remains unclear how many people are trapped underground.