All bodies of victims of Slovakian mine blast found

The underground explosion Monday in a coal mine in Handlova, about 195 km (120 miles) northeast of the capital Bratislava, was suspected to have been caused by a build-up of gases after a coal fire.

"The last of the bodies of the victims was recovered late on Wednesday," said Adriana Sivakova, a spokeswoman for Hornonitrianske Bane Prievidza, adding the bodies would be analysed for DNA identification.

Privately-held Hornonitrianske Bane Prievidza, the biggest mining firm in the country, said the explosion tore through a section of the pit, about 330 metres (1,080 ft) below the surface, at 9.30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. British time) Monday.

The government of Prime Minister Robert Fico has set up a committee to conduct a separate investigation of the accident alongside the probes by the mining authority and police.

Sivakova said, however, it could take two to three months before the blast scene was safe for investigators to gain access.

Mines are important employers in mountainous regions of Slovakia and governments have for years subsidised their operations to preserve jobs.

The Handlova accident has provoked a national debate on whether the state should continue supporting coal mining with taxpayers' money.

"Do we need these shafts, after all? Are they worth the human and financial sacrifices?" the largest broadsheet daily Sme asked in a column.

The Handlova mine, with almost 500 employees and a daily production of 800-900 tonnes of high-quality brown coal, stopped mining operations completely after the accident.

(Reporting by Martin Santa; editing by Andrew Roche)