Assessment of the cause and mode of death of victims of a mass industrial accident in the Halemba coal mine

On 21 November 2006 in the Halemba coal mine, Ruda Śląska, a mass industrial accident occurred. The underground catastrophe was probably due to combustion of methane followed by explosion of pulverised coal and resulted in death of twenty-three miners. The occurrence has been acknowledged to be one of the most serious accidents in Polish mining industry. Post-mortem examinations of the deceased were carried out in Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, and in some cases additional dissecting techniques were employed. Photographs were taken as well as numerous specimens for various laboratory tests were collected. Toxicological analyses of blood samples revealed high levels of carboxyhaemoglobin saturation in seventeen cases, and detected presence of methane in the lungs of seven individuals, whereas microscopic specimens mainly showed lesions characteristic of putrefaction. The post-mortem procedures eventually allowed to establish the cause of death of all victims. The authors attempt to determine a range of requisite medico-legal proceedings and examinations that should be carried out in case of a mass industrial accident, and emphasise the need for development of appropriate guidelines.