Two men died on Friday after a gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in southern Poland.

The methane explosion late on Thursday caused a fire in the Krupinski mine, owned by Europe's biggest coking coal miner JSW near the town of Pszczyna in Silesia.

As per report, high temperatures, smoke and fire hampered rescue efforts and only eight miners were brought to safety during the night, leaving four others trapped underground until midday on Friday.

Mr Franciszek Wrobel a director at the mine said “Out of the four miners rescued today, one unfortunately died. We have also found the body of one of the rescuers. We are still looking for a second rescuer. We don't know where he is.”

The surviving workers were receiving hospital treatment for burns but Mr Wrobel quoted medical staff as saying their lives were not in danger.

(Sourced from Reuters)