Evariste Gustave De Buck (1892-1974): The Marcinelle mining disaster, charcoal on paper, dated 1956

Work: 137,5 x 105 cm

Frame: 144,5 x 113 cm

The Marcinelle mining disaster, one of the largest and most notorious mining disasters in Belgian history, occurred at the Bois du Cazier coal mine at Marcinelle in Hainaut Province, on 8 August 1956. Early in the morning, an accident occurred underground as a result of the attempt to use the hoist mechanism before a coal wagon had been correctly loaded into the lift. Cables were severed, and an electrical fire broke out at a time when there were 274 workers underground. As a result of measures introduced to respond to the labour shortage in post-war Belgium, the majority of the workers were guest workers from Italy and other parts of Europe. Although attempts were made to rescue the workers, 262 miners died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning. Widely covered at the time in newspapers and television reports, the disaster remains prominent in folk memory in Belgium (link). The Bois du Cazier mine now operates as a museum (link).