A minimum of 11 miners died in a coal mining accident in Russia’s Siberia on Thursday (November 25) and an operation to rescue 35 extra individuals caught underground was suspended because of the threat of an explosion, the area’s governor mentioned.
The accident occurred when coal mud caught hearth in a air flow shaft within the Listvyazhnaya mine within the snowbound Kemerovo area early on Thursday, filling the mine with smoke, the TASS information company cited native emergency companies as saying.
“The possibility of an explosion could be very excessive. We’ve determined to droop the search and rescue operation till the focus of fuel reduces,” Regional Governor Sergei Tsivilev mentioned.
Dozens had been being handled in hospital, not less than a few of them with smoke poisoning.
4 had been in vital situation.
Earlier than the rescue operation was halted, the governor mentioned there was nonetheless electrical energy and air flow within the mine, however that they’d misplaced contact with some individuals deep underground.
A minimum of 239 made it above floor, authorities mentioned.
They didn’t say what had precipitated the smoke.
Kemerovo declared a three-day interval of mourning.
In 2007, Kemerovo was the location of the worst mining accident for the reason that 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union when an explosion on the Ulyanovskaya mine claimed the lives of greater than 100 individuals.
In 2010, explosions on the area’s Raspadskaya mine killed greater than 90 individuals.
The Investigative Committee legislation enforcement company’s regional department mentioned it had opened a legal case into negligence inflicting lack of life.