They have passed 67 years old from the tragic accident that occurred on Wednesday August 8, 1956 in the Bois du Cazier coal mineto Marcinellein the province of Hainaut, in Belgium southern, where 262 miners they died due to a fire and toxic fumes that spread to over 970 meters deep. Only 13 people managed to save themselves. Among the victims, 136 were Italian workers immigrants to Belgium thanks to an agreement between the Italian and Belgian governments, aimed at providing labor to Belgium in exchange for coal sent to Italy. The Bois du Cazier mine is now a UNESCO heritage site in memory of the tragedy.
The Bois du Cazier mine in Marcinelle
The mining activities in Marcinellein the mining district of Charleroiin Belgium, began in 1822in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. Belgium was then one of the European leaders in the extraction of mineral resources and in iron and steel, mechanical and chemical activities. The Bois du Cazier mine was recognized as a strategic resource for coal mining. On average, over 100,000 tons were mined 160,000 tons of coal per yearwith a peak of 170,550 tons in 1955. Mining took place mainly in two branches of the mine which reached depths of 765 and 1,035 meters. Work to extend a third branch began in 1955, but was interrupted by the disaster the following year.
The 1956 Accident: Causes, Victims and Survivors
The morning of theAugust 8, 1956at 8:10it exploded a fire inside the main shaft of the mine at a depth of 975 meters. The fire, probably fueled by the wood of the beams and the mine’s supporting structures, expanded rapidly. A toxic cloud of fumes and carbon dioxide saturated the ductmaking ventilation systems useless and the air unbreathable up to 1,035 meters deep. 275 miners present, only 13 were saved; the remaining ones 262 died of suffocation. Most of the victims were Italian workers, for a total of 136 peoplethe last of whom to be identified (in 2024) are Rocco Ceccomancini and Dante Di Quilio. Among the victims were also 95 Belgians And 31 workers of other nationalitiesincluding English (1), Germans (5), Poles (8), Greeks (6), Hungarians (3), Algerians (3), French (2), Dutch (1), Russians (1), Ukrainians (1).
According to official reports, the accident was caused by a error in using underground elevators for the outgoing transport of wagons containing coal. At 975 meters deep, a worker activated the lifting mechanism before the car was fully loaded into the elevator. The car got stuck halfway up the cage. During the ascent, the protruding wagon damaged a oil pipeof the electric cables and a compressed air pipe. The Sparks generated came into contact with the flammable liquidstarting the fire.
The consequences of the disaster and the closure of the mine
In the six years following the Marcinelle catastrophe, several trials were held to establish responsibility for the accident, which concluded in 1961 with the sentenced to six months in prison for the mine works manager, accused of negligence. Mining activity at the Bois du Cazier mine was definitively interrupted in 1967. Today, the site is UNESCO heritage and houses a museum dedicated to the memory of the tragedy and the mining history of the region.
Why were there so many Italians in Marcinelle?
In the post-war period, the Bois du Cazier mine, like others in Belgium, became an economic hub, employing over 700 miners in 1955The expansion of the mining industry required an increase in hiring workers from the rest of Europe to maintain the operational efficiency of the mines.
The June 23, 1946the Italian and Belgian governments, represented respectively by the Minister Alcide de Gasperi and from the prime minister Achilles Van Ackersigned in Rome a Memorandum of Understanding which provided for the transfer of 50,000 Italian miners in Belgian mines. The agreement included the supply of 200 kg of coal per day at a reduced cost for every Italian worker. Furthermore, the Belgian government committed to guarantee adequate living conditionscomplete professional training, good working conditions, fair wages and social benefits. This explains the high number of Italians employed in the mines in Belgium at that time.
However, not all aspects of the agreement were respected. On the one hand, Italy did not receive the agreed quantities of coal on a weekly basis. On the other hand, Italian workers, attracted by promises of high wages, family allowances and trips abroad, found themselves living and working in precarious conditionshoused in “Cellars”, real barracks previously used for prisoners of war. The already precarious living conditions were compounded by the discrimination suffered by immigrants from the local population.
Even inside the mines, working conditions were far from modern standards, both in terms of security measures and prevention both for hygiene. Between 1944 and 1965, it is estimated that an average of 45 miners per 10,000 inside the mines scattered across Belgian territory.
