Kings Bay Case

Loading Charcoal for the Kings Bay Kull Compani

The Kings Bay case, (Kings Bay-saken) in Norwegian, was linked to a fatal accident in the fall of 1962 in a coal mine in Svalbard. The report on this accident, published in the summer of 1963, provoked a government crisis in Norway. The crisis ended with the resignation of the Labor government of Einar Gerhardsen, leaving the place to the first right-wing government since the war, led by John Lyng.

The accident cost the lives of 21 people. It took place on November 5, 1962 in the mine "Esther I" in Kongsfjorden (English Kings Bay). The causes of the accident are not known but are believed to be related to the poor state of the mine and a very high concentration of methane.

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