A coal mine fire in southwest Siberia killed 52 people on Thursday. Eleven workers were killed Thursday morning, and 35 others are missing for a long time. It appears that they are now dead, as are six of the rescuers. This was reported by Russian aid workers.
Environmental monitoring agency Rostechnadzor received a report at 9:08 a.m. local time about a fire and explosion at the Listvyazhnaya mine near the city of Kemerovo, about 3,500 kilometers east of the capital, Moscow. Rescue workers immediately arrived at the scene, but soon their work was suspended due to the danger of an explosion.
About 285 people were working underground at the time of the disaster. Among them, 239 people were rescued. 52 people have died so far, including six aid workers. Forty-nine people were hospitalized, four of whom were in serious condition.
Mine manager arrested
It is possible that the fire at a depth of 250 meters was started by coal dust that caught fire. Soon the smoke spread through a ventilation duct and filled the mine.
A criminal investigation into negligence has been opened. The mine manager and two others were arrested for not respecting safety regulations. According to the independent Russian news agency, Interfax The mine was last inspected on November 19. It is owned by the Siberian Business Consortium (SBU), which, in addition to mining, is active in rail transport, chemicals and mechanical engineering. The union has not yet commented on the disaster.
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Disaster after disaster in the region
The coal industry in the Kemerovo region has suffered from disasters for years.In 2007, one of the worst mining disasters ever in Russia occurred in Ulyanovskaya mine. More than 100 people were killed. in 2010 More than 90 people were killed in explosions at the Raspadskia mine.
In 2004, another accident occurred at the Listvyazhnaya mine, where 52 people have now died. Then 13 people were killed in a methane gas explosion.
President Putin expressed his condolences Thursday afternoon to all concerned. Kemerovo declared three days of mourning.
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