Por Redaccion The Minister of Ecological Transition requests a self-requested appearance before the General Assembly
The Government of Asturias is willing to «go to the end» in the investigation of the Blue Solving case to determine the causes of the accident in which five miners died, under what circumstances it occurred, and if there were any irregularities in the operation. Belarmina Díaz, the Minister of Ecological Transition, announced today that the Government will intervene as a private prosecutor, as requested by the mining unions SOMA-FITAG and Comisiones Obreras.
Belarmina Díaz chaired the meeting of the mine safety commission, a body that includes representatives from the regional administration, unions, companies, and professional associations. At the end of this meeting, she announced the following decisions:
• The Government of Asturias will intervene as a private prosecutor in the ongoing judicial procedure.
• The Mine Safety Commission will establish a special investigation commission on the accident. The first meeting is already scheduled for April 25th. Díaz stated, «We will put all means, efforts, and everything necessary to determine what happened.»
• The Minister will appear voluntarily before the General Assembly to offer all explanations within the reach of the Government of Asturias. The request has already been submitted.
• The General Inspection of Services will conduct an evaluation of the Mining Service. The goal is to check all actions taken so far and, if necessary, take initiatives to improve it.
These four measures will be carried out as quickly as possible. The intention of the Principality is to push the investigation to the maximum. As President Adrián Barbón stated, the government aims to evaluate the operation of the mine «from top to bottom,» which should not have been engaged in coal extraction under any circumstances. Although the experience of other accidents shows that these investigations can be prolonged, the Government’s intention is to collaborate to expedite them.
The Minister also reported on the inspections carried out at the mine where the accident occurred. Since 2022, at least eight inspections have been conducted; the latest in September of last year. None of them detected irregularities on the third floor, where the accident took place. Another inspection will be carried out next week at the accident site, along with the judicial police and special explosives investigation teams.
«It’s an extremely tragic event, the toughest I’ve ever had to manage in my entire professional life,» emphasized the Minister, who reiterated her solidarity with the families and friends of the five deceased workers and the entire mining community.