Death toll rises to 18 from Polish mine accidents; 7 missing

The death toll from disasters in two Polish coal mines rose to 18 after the bodies of four missing miners were found. The rescue operation at the Borynia-Zofiowka mine in southern Poland ended on Wednesday after the last miners missing after a tremor and methane gas discharge on Saturday were pronounced dead. They brought the total number of deaths to 10. Meanwhile, the toll from a series of methane explosions at the nearby Pniowek mine last week rose to eight after a hospitalized worker died Tuesday night.Seven other miners and rescuers remain missing at that mine, but the search for them was suspended when subsequent blasts injured 10 rescue team members.