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Miners in Kosovo break Ramadan fast 800 metres underground

Kosovar miner Emin Hasani feels closer to God when he breaks the Ramadan fast 800 metres (2,625 feet) underground.

After a long and blistering shift down the Trepca mine in Stanterg in northern Kosovo, Hasani checks a clock to know when the sun is setting at the surface and whether the time has come to consume.

Relaxing a small table in a makeshift workplace in the mine, he and 4 associates pull out dates, yogurt, pickles and cheese that they clean down with sugary black tea.

The guys laugh and chat with each other as they share the Iftar meal, eaten after a day of fasting in between dawn and sundown during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

I am constantly connected with Allah, in times like now where we are 800 metres underground, Hasani said before reciting his prayers. The much deeper I go, the closer I feel to Allah.

Kosovo is a Muslim-majority country and hundreds of miners in the state-owned lead, zinc and silver mine are observing Ramadan, in some cases enduring temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius and extreme humidity.

Fasting is not a concern for us but an absence of clean air, modern equipment, clothing and shoes are a huge problem, said shift chief Fehmi Hajredini.

Trepca used more than 22,000 workers in the 1970s and 80s and accounted for 2 thirds of Kosovo's gross domestic item (GDP). Now it uses just 3,000 in the mines and other centers.

Low mineral costs and dwindling production suggests the business can not cover functional costs and is looking for federal government subsidies.

In the city of Mitrovica, a brief distance from the mine, Bashkim Kurti, CEO of Trepca, stated he remained in talks with the federal government for a 20 million euro ($ 21.68 million) loan to improve working conditions and increase production.

(source: Reuters)