Czech mine explosion kills at least 5, leaves 8 missing

A spokesman for a mining company in the Czech Republic says a methane explosion inside a coal mine in the country's northeast has killed at least five miners.

Ivo Celechovsky of the OKD mining company says at least 10 miners are injured and eight others are missing after the explosion Thursday afternoon at the CSA mine near the town of Karvina.

He says teams are searching for the missing miners.

The explosion occurred in the part of the mine where mostly Polish miners are deployed some 800 meters (yards) underground.