Another tragic incident occurred in the murderous city, the city which is known for the tragic accident of innocent people. The city where cannot be saved the life of a citizen who sacrifices life to save the family.
The accident occurred on April 5 at 4 o’clock midnight, the ordinary duty was on the dawn, and a group of 9 people was working to the mine to tunnel the coal. An unexpected mini hitting caused 6 miners dead on the ground and 3 seriously injured, again Tkibuli, again Mindeli’s shaft. According to information, in the first carbonated district, as a result of “mining-hitting”, the tunnel’s side rocks collapsed. Emergency, police and rescue team appeared on time, but it was difficult to remove the injured that were taken to Kutaisi hospital. Corpses-expertise, soon the investigation result will be reflected.
As a background, there have been extracting minerals and coals and modifying too. This mine belongs to the company “Saknakhshiri” GIG Group. There are two mines called Mindel’s and Dzidziguri’s mines. The Mindel’s mine is older than the second. These ones are the only income for the population. The most of them are working on Mine because there aren’t others working place in Tkibuli.
Nearly ten cases have been reported in the shaft in the past year, despite the fact that the killer statistics, despite the fact that the workers continue to work, they have the only answer, they are forced to stay at risk for life. “If you live in Tkibuli here you do not have any other chance to think about other jobs and other goals”.
- Killer statistics – there are the list of accidents in Mindeli mine
- On March 4, 2010, 4 miners killed as a result of an explosion in Mindel mine.
- On August 27, 2010, three miners were killed and seven seriously injured as a result of an explosion in Mindel mine.
- In 2011 on November 6 again in Mindel mine, clearing the ceiling in the tiles, two miners were killed.
- On January 22, 2011, a mine was killed and four seriously injured as a result of an explosion in Mindel mine.
- On October 13, 2013, one person was killed as a result of the microcosm of the Mandel shaft.
- In February 2015, one worker was killed in coal mines in Tkibuli.
- In October 2016, 1 dead person was found in Mindel mine.
- In May 2017, again in Tkibuli, again in Mindel mine, four persons were killed. Due to the breaking up of the rope during the repair work on the cargo lift.
- On April 5 of 2018, six people were killed and three were seriously injured as a result of a “mining-hitting”
According to the Ministry of International Affairs of Georgia, from 2011 to 2016, 776 people were injured in the workplace and 270 people were killed. According to the data of the United Trade Union, in 2017, as result of production injuries, 41 people were seriously and 66 people were injured. And these statistics are not perfect.
All of the miners have the only reply “we don’t want to go down to underground, but we don’t have the other way in our town, here are working a lot of young people and elderly too, can you make evaluate? How are we in poor conditions? ” with the society thoughts that “they have nobody as a helper”. Most workers keep silence to speak up about their working place because they are afraid of losing their workplace. According to of having important details about one of the worker.
He is 29-year-old, after the graduating school, he decided to go to Tbilisi for Studying, he was studying there for four years. After finished the university Mirza came back to my town, and started the working in the shaft, he had students’ works. Generally, hadn’t a stable work. As he told, he has been working since 2010 in the shaft. “I started the work on the shaft as a safety and ventilation mining expert for three years. I gave up the working from my family’s conditions issued. A little later I started the work again in the shaft as a blasting foreman. I had been working there for five years. There is only one income source for all young people in Tkibuli, this is a Shaft. Most of them are working here.” said Mirza kapanadze. Up to now, he has the family with two children he still is working in the shaft.
Also, he mentioned hard condition in their lifestyle. Disadvantages didn’t stay as unreachable. Admiralty timely reacted to violations. There aren’t other incomes for any families keeping in Tkibuli. We have to work here otherwise all of the workers don’t want to go down below-ground almost to 400 meters. All of these are important for keeping families. On the other hand, a lot of people should have gone to another side of a homeland. Or where are they going to go so many people? – On abroad or Tbilisi? Some of them aren’t satisfied with working on the shaft. The most of Tkibuli’s population have been working on the Shaft since the Shaft had existed.
As announced information on 19 the April the ministry of labor health and social affairs of Georgia discussed problems of employees employed in Tkibuli shaft. On this meeting didn’t attend the Prime minister of Georgia Giorgi kvirikashvili. There was holding “the three-pronged commission”, where the employee’s state and union were meeting each other, and the miners weren’t be allowed to attend the meeting. This fact says about everything, “we are less valuable for all the structures, that our place is not where our future is solved. They can’t decide what is better for us and what we want”, said some miners.
In addition, the trade unions have a demand that Tkibuli to Chiatura, as well as Agara to, will have benefits for employed, Also, tax benefits or pension age should reduce. According to the trade unions also has the main demand for safety. The shafts must be measured with detailed, as well as, by international experts to assess the status of a shaft from the beginning. During the time the shafts should be closed and to have to start their rehabilitation. The shaft needs more security measures, in quite the opposite the killer statistics will increase and the lives of more miners will be sacrificed than before. The shaft does not have safety measures to protect human life, everything is outdated, needs renewal. The company does not want to talk about details because it is harmful to him. As told the trade unions leader Gaga Isakadze.
“Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center” to stand up the responsibility of the economic tea and in a short period of the time, the government will submit a plan to rescue Tkibuli, how to save people who are working on Shaft, are the only way to survive, says Lana Gvinianidze, Also, Investigation statements nothing is enough. The economic policy of the country confirms that the first place is not lives of people, but private business interest, it is time to getting better the conditions.
An investigation, statements – nothing is enough. The economic policy of the country confirms that the first place is not the lives of people, but private business interest. It’s time, says Lina Gvinianidze.
As a known six people were killed the youngest man was 25 years old Pavle Gamezardashvili among the dead people. He had been working there since 2010 after graduating school, in coalfield as a miner. “He was very hard worker, he always tried to help with our family, he abandoned his studying and started the working, except him my two sons still are working in Mindel shaft, our family is fallen into hardship, my family has a huge bank loan, as my son had bank debt too, after his death the bank demand paying from me, but I couldn’t do it, we are very hardship family,” said Pavle’s father.
Also, Dead son’s Father was injured in the Mindel’s shaft many years ago, after that now he is a disabled man. The family was compensated by the Company after his son died. He couldn’t charge for damages, because this is the Mine, where are always dangerous at every step. There are no other jobs in Tkibuli because the only income is a Mine for all families in Tkibuli if the mines close in the most families will be starvation. “As the youngest and elderly people who are working on there. We always know that the mines are dangerous but we don’t have another choice.” said the Gamezardashvili.
The company and the government of Georgia have their own opinion about the incident in Tkibuli. “Despite the safety of the company’s efforts, the tragedy could not be avoided.” Said Jambul Jakeli, director of “ Saknakhshiri, that the cause of the accident in the Tkibuli mine was not a violation of security norms.
The President of Georgia responded to the incident. President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili made a statement.
“The state of labor safety is dramatically hard and unacceptable. The whole community, including employers, and first of all, the government’s efforts to address the strictest control of the enforcement of labor safety rules, since it is no longer just the safety of the employee, but it is the death-life topic”.
As a result, the investigation says that one of the tunnels in the shaft of the walls caused the ceiling to collapse. The case was launched in the second part of the article 240 of the Criminal Code of Georgia- the violation of the safety rules in mining, construction or other works. The offense envisages up to 5 years of imprisonment.
“ Technogenic catastrophe ” The owner of the mine “Saknakhshiri “ in the official statement.
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