mining accident
47°32′03″N 14°14′47″E / 47.534153°N 14.246306°E The mining disaster at Lassing occurred the morning of 17 July 1998. The accident in the Upper Styrian municipality of Lassing was the worst of its kind … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Country Austria
Located in the administrative territorial entity Lassing
Coordinate location 47°32'3.1"N, 14°14'46.7"E
Factsheet
Country Austria
Located in the administrative territorial entity Lassing
Coordinate location 47°32'3.1"N, 14°14'46.7"E
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Lassing_mining_disaster
Lassing mining disaster - Wikipedia
November 28, 2025 - 47°32′03″N 14°14′47″E / 47.534153°N 14.246306°E The mining disaster at Lassing occurred the morning of 17 July 1998. The accident in the Upper Styrian municipality of Lassing was the worst of its kind in Austria since 1945. Lassing is the largest known carbonated talc deposit ...
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Industrial Union
industriall-union.org › archive › icem › austrian-mine-disaster-rio-tinto-blamed
Austrian Mine Disaster: Rio Tinto Blamed | IndustriALL
November 6, 2012 - Lassing is run by Talc de Luzenac, ... In Austria's worst mining accident since the war, ten miners died at Lassing this July when the roof of the talc mine collapsed....
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CNN
cnn.com › WORLD › europe › 9807 › 29 › briefs › austrian.miners › index.html
CNN - Noises give hope that trapped Austrian miners still alive - July 29, 1998
July 29, 1998 - VIENNA, Austria -- Rescue workers battling to save 10 Austrian miners trapped in a collapsed pit for 12 days heard noises Wednesday indicating they might be alive, a government official said · The miners were caught in a mudslide after they descended into the pit to rescue their colleague ...
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Internet Scientific Publications
ispub.com › IJRDM › 2 › 1 › 11749
Case Report: Lassing Mining Accident
December 31, 1999 - Lassing (Austria) became famous after a tragic accident that generated tremendous media coverage. On Friday July 17, 1998, in a depth of 60 meters under the surface, water and mud broke into a shaft of the mines in Lassing.
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NYTimes
nytimes.com › 1998 › 07 › 27 › world › austrian-miner-rescued-9-days-after-cave-in.html
Austrian Miner Rescued 9 Days After Cave-In (Published 1998)
July 27, 1998 - An Austrian miner trapped 200 feet underground for nine days by a cave-in was found alive today and hauled to safety, in what one official described as a miracle.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/catastrophicfailure › 17th july 1998 - illegal branch of mine collapses, trapping one. in the end 10 are dead.
r/CatastrophicFailure on Reddit: 17th July 1998 - Illegal branch of mine collapses, trapping one. In the end 10 are dead.
November 16, 2021 -

Edit: Forgot to say, this happened south of Liezen, in Lassing. Austria.

TLDR: Rescue workers freeing the victim get killed in another collapse while the first collapse victim gets freed a few days later.

Georg Hainzl on the right

Georg Hainzl, 24 at the time, was in a small break room when the first collapse happened, he got trapped. No (phone) contact whatsoever. On that same night they sent down a group of 9 rescuers and a geologist. That's when they were surprised by another collapse which made the funnel shaped hole even bigger, swallowing a garage building. They lost contact with the group and ordered special drills from germany but it was soon decided it would be of no use.

10 days later a special drill from a german owned company (H. Angers Söhne) from Hessen was able to locate and free Georg with almost no injuries (it was said he had "surprisingly good health"). The other 10 people were never found. In 2000 they stopped all recovery efforts.

Some houses, about 18 were damaged, in a small radius around the mine were demolished, while 2 got destroyed in the "sinkhole".

Georg Hainzl goes on to be the lone survivor, on the bottom the other victims.

In the end 3 (of 5) people went to jail (the longest was 8 months). The mine was closed after being open for almost a 100 years.

Compared to today

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grubenungl%C3%BCck_von_Lassing

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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Mining_accident
Mining accident - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - At least 56 miners were killed in April 1998 after heavy rains flooded tanzanite mine shafts. Five people were killed in July 2013 after the tanzanite quarry they were working in the Mererani mining hills collapsed above their heads.
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Mineaccidents
mineaccidents.com.au › mine-accident › 76 › moonee-colliery-1998
Moonee Colliery 1998- Mining Accident Database
The fifth goaf fall in the panel, which occurred at 10am on Thursday 22 January 1998, resulted in a windblast which knocked over and injured 6 of 19 crew who were present engaged on regular maintenance. It also destroyed several ventilation appliances. The injuries to the personnel were relatively ...
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European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
eurofound.europa.eu › en › resources › article › 1998 › massive-strikes-mining-sector-after-fatal-accidents
Massive strikes in mining sector after fatal accidents | European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Strikes called to protest at these fatal accidents and to demand greater safety measures received massive support. Mining in Asturias was paralysed on 14 and 15 October 1998. The more than 11,000 miners who work in this autonomous community showed massive support for a 48-hour strike called ...
Find elsewhere
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ResearchGate
researchgate.net › publication › 292540917_The_lassing_mine_accident_-_impact_on_the_austrian_mining_legislation
The lassing mine accident - impact on the austrian mining legislation
January 1, 2000 - It is shown that the amendment ... a polarisation between the local authorities and the federal mining authority. The Lassing mine disaster in July 1998 ......
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Mineaccidents
mineaccidents.com.au › mine-events › all › au
Mine Accidents and Disasters
Despite all that we have learnt, men and women are still killed and injured in our mines today. In 2013/2014 16 mine workers died at work in our mines. A summary of the fatal accidents is below · The Bulli Mine Disaster of 23 March 1887 involved a gas explosion in the mine that killed 81 men ...
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BBC
news.bbc.co.uk › 2 › hi › europe › 135351.stm
BBC News | Europe | Eleven feared dead in Austrian mine disaster
Ten members of a rescue team went into a talcum mine to save a colleague who had been stranded by an earlier landslide · As the roof of the mine started to collapse, tons of mud and water crashed into the tunnels and shafts below
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Mineaccidents
mineaccidents.com.au › search
Search Mine Accidents and Disasters
A spokesperson for the state's resources safety regulator, Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ), said a roof had collapsed · An unplanned detonation of explosives occurred at the Endeavor Mine in Cobar, about 450 kilometres east of Broken Hill, at about 3:45am
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Mineaccidents
mineaccidents.com.au › mine-accident › 251 › 1998-prince-of-wales-explosion
1998 Prince of Wales Explosion- Mining Accident Database
April 3, 1998 - Two ignitions of firedamp occurred separated by six hours, behind the part completed tailgate stopping of a salvaged longwall retreat district. No persons were injured but 141 persons were evacuated from the mine and 69 self rescuers were worn. The second explosion was violent enough to destroy ...
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OECD
oecd.org › derec › austria › 35129292.pdf pdf
Evaluation of the Austrian Mine Action Programme 1998- ...
June 10, 2003 - C) Other Contributions: The following ... of the Austrian Mine Action Budget. The · team was informed about their existence only after the field study. As a consequence, these projects haven't been evalu- ... "Prevention and Response to Mine Accidents in Mozambique, Proximity Demining, Mine Awareness Campaign and Rehabilita- tion of Amputees in Manica and Sofala Province", UNICEF, 538'769 USD, 1.1.1997-30.7.1998...
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Miningquiz
usminedisasters.miningquiz.com › successstories.htm
Success Stories: Miners that were rescued after being trapped
From Present Day to 1846 - Mine accidents and disasters in which miners have survived after being trapped underground.
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Nationalfonds
nationalfonds.org › gottfried-a-en
Gottfried A. - National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism
The pain caused me to faint. When I came to, the two SS men dragged me out of the room and put me on a chair in front of the Hauptsturmführer. He said, it wouldn't be the last time I was punished. Then I had to sign a paper saying that I injured my back in an industrial accident.
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Miningquiz
usminedisasters.miningquiz.com › saxsewell › historical.htm
Worst US Mine Disasters
Contains a digest of the worst US mine disasters since record keeping began in 1839. Search our mine disaster database containing hundreds of accident records.