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Subscribe to RSSROME -- Up to 100 Sardinian coal miners who say they see a future in clean energy have armed themselves with hundreds of pounds of explosives and barricaded themselves nearly 438 yards underground to put pressure on the Italian government to protect the mine's survival.
The miners, from a 460-strong workforce, seized 772 pounds of company explosives and locked themselves inside the Carbosulcis mine -- the country's only coal mine -- west of Cagliari overnight on Monday, one of them said, ahead of a government meeting this week to discuss the pit's future.
"We are worried that the mine may close. We are afraid for our jobs," Sandro Mereu, 54, a miner who has worked there for 28 years told Reuters.
"We are prepared to stay here until we hear a response from the government that secures the future of the mine. We will stay here indefinitely," Mereu told Reuters by telephone.
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According to The Associated Press, miners at the mine told Sky TG24 TV that they wanted the government and Parliament to quickly approve funding for a project to capture and store underground carbon dioxide that otherwise would add to polluting greenhouse gases.
The miners want the mine to be diversified into a combined mining and carbon capture site to protect its future.
Carbosulcis was estimated to have 600 million metric tons of coal reserves in 2006 but has struggled to stay productive. It was previously occupied in 1984, 1993 and 1995, when protesting workers stayed in a tunnel for 100 days.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
cool, let the miners close it themselves, save everyone the hassle...BOOM!
Classic Italian hostage situation. "Give in to our demands, or we'll blow up the hostages. ....... Luigi, are you sure this is gonna work?"
Your comments are bigoted and not funny.
I wonder what would happen if the police packed the entrance with explosives and told them all to come out or they (The police) would set it off?
then the coal might catch on fire and burn forever
DUMB... just walk away and leave them in the mine.
I'm with you , take explosives inside the mine with them for a potential confrontation with people with guns . I guess it pays to think some things all the way through before proceeding .
They're packed in there like Sardinians.
Damn. Beat me too it.
And packaged in oil, too.
Beat me, too. I was thinking, though....how many smokers do you suppose are in the group?
And will 772 lbs. of explosives be louder than a cherry bomb?
Hope somebody has a camara on them....would make an exellent episode of "WORD'S DUMBEST...."
"Up to 100 Sardinian coal miners who say they see a future in clean energy" Kinda slow reaction as the coal miners finally realized their coal business product is outdated. Do you Italians live under a Rock?
Acturally, there will be a lot more minning jobs in the future as the moon, asteroids, Mars et al open up for minning. And they can also mine much more things like diamonds and precious metals et al.
Does not seem a very bright idea.
well, sardinia. nuff said.
What do you mean by that comment?Do you have a clue where it is located and who these people are?Your arrogant attitude will not be a benefit to you in this world.By the way,nuff is not a word.
Bye.
you got it bass-akwards guys (and gals). if you blow up the mine and yourself you've lost.
You people all suck. People reacting out of fear in a harsh economy. Desperation exists and materializes in all forms in this day and age when people are afraid. Not a lick of compassion, only judgement.
I'm in agreement with you.It's a sad state for most every country today economically.
Come on, they have taken themselves hostage. That only worked in Blazing Saddles. You have to admit it's a pretty stupid thing to do.
just a cleaning lady, It is even more sad when you consider this situation is artificially created out of greed, paper greed.
If they promise to vote for Obama this November he'll give them all green cards and amnesty and they can come live here on government funding like his Aunt and Uncle...Let's kick this Socialist out of the White House this November and take this country back while we still have something worth saving...Loser
Do you know where Sardinia is located?I assure you they do not want to immigrate to the U.S.
Sounds like it's located near a biiiggg hole in the ground.
This shows how desperate people have become to save their jobs.The recession is still going strong and it has caused much unemployment abroad as as it has in the U.S.I hope that these miners don't have to resort to anything horrific in order to save their jobs.
Wait, they are worried about their jobs? With that much explosives, I would be more worried about my life. Also, I wonder how they plan on staying there indefinitely? Can they eat coal?
Wow.......How do you attempt to rescue a group of men in a mine, that have already set off a explosion ? The rescuers have no idea if the miners have more explosives or not.........
By barricading themselves inside the mine with explosives -- the mine they want to keep open -- these miners have simply cost themselves their jobs and jeopardized the mine's entire existence. If they accidentally detonate the explosives, their bodies will never be recovered and the mine will certainly close, and that will be that. Mine executives will certainly not want miners who are capable of such actions working in their mine once the standoff is over, either. Anyway, why would Italy close its ONLY coal mine in the first place?
This mine is the ONLY ONE in Italy. Coal miners' barrficading themselves in the depth of 400 m with 300 kg explosives had been averted if the Italian g'ment had renewed/reissued plans for coal mining. Italy is in such a deep do-do financially-their debts-their future- their calaminies (earthquakes in Northern Italy in tpurism.cultural regions-cheese production-cattle/sheep...migrants from Africa by the boatloads who get bettere treatment (asylum seekers-housing,food,healthcare)than the hard-working coal miners. This barricading has happened three times previously- last time over 100 days. The coal miners are not killing g'ment people/attacking military bases/decapitating non-believers,using explosives on civilian targets.