The Bois du Cazier Mine in Marcinelle was the scene of a tragic explosion and fire in 1956, in which over 260 miners, many of them immigrant laborers from Italy, perished in atrocious conditions. In some cases, all the men and boys of a whole family died a tragic death. The mine has now been turned into a memorial denouncing the conditions under which many of these miners were hired and set to work in a sector which contributed significantly to Belgium's industrial wealth.