Gruppo Corale Les Hirondelles
"Nous sommes une cinquantine. Nous fuyons les fumées vers les quatres paumes..."
Because of a human mistake, the eighth of August 1956, Belgium suffered of one of the most dramatic tragedy in our century. A big fire erupted in one of the caves of the Bois du Cazier coal mine killing 262 miners from several countries, mainly Italians, 136 casualties, then Belgian, 95; it was a terrifying event, the miners were trapped inside the mine and ,without any hope to escape, were suffucated by the gas. The rescue operations went on desperate until the 23 of August when one of the rescue workers said in Italian: "Tutti cadaveri!" (All dead!)