Protection Island mining disaster

The Protection Island mining disaster killed 16 miners and occurred on Protection Island near Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. The disaster occurred at 7:10 a.m.^[1] on September 10, 1918 (1918-09-10) when the hoisting cable frayed on the cab that was lowering miners into the mine. Six other cabs of 16 miners each had preceded the cab which fell 300 feet (~100 m) into the mine. The bodies of the miners were mangled to the point where personal effects were used to identify the victims.^[2][3] It was later determined that salt water in the air had caused corrosion of the cable leading to the accident.^[1]

Protection Island Mining Disaster

Date	September 10, 1918 (1918-09-10)
Location	Protection Island near Nanaimo British Columbia, Canada
Type	Mining accident
Cause	Hoising cable break, transport cab fall
Deaths	16

See also

• Canada portal

• 1887 Nanaimo mine explosion
• List of coal mines and landmarks in the Nanaimo area