52 Dead in Russian Mine Fire... 6 Rescuers Also Sacrificed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A fire at the Kuzbass coal mine in Siberia, Russia, has reportedly resulted in the deaths of a total of 52 people, including miners and rescue workers. Initially, Russian authorities estimated that about 40 miners were trapped and continued the search, but it was confirmed that all missing persons had died.

According to Russian TASS news agency and others on the 25th (local time), a fire broke out around 8:50 a.m. at the ventilation shaft located 250 meters underground in the 'Listvyazhnaya' coal mine in Belovo, Kemerovo Oblast, southwestern Siberia, Russia. Smoke caused by ignited coal dust spread throughout the mine along the ventilation shaft, resulting in the deaths of a total of 52 people, including six rescue workers.

The Kemerovo regional government stated, "At the time of the accident, 285 miners were working underground. Among them, 239 evacuated outside, 46 were trapped underground, and 10 were found dead." The miners who were unable to evacuate and were buried are presumed to have died from toxic gas asphyxiation. Rescue workers conducted rescue operations for about 15 hours but lost contact after the decision to halt operations due to the increased risk of explosion caused by rising methane gas levels in the tunnel.

Earlier, the Emergency Situations Ministry dispatched about 150 rescue workers to the site to conduct search and rescue operations, but local media reported that they faced difficulties due to heavy smoke inside the mine. It was also reported that the mine's ventilation system stopped operating.

The exact cause of the fire is not yet known, and Russian investigative authorities have launched an investigation into violations of industrial safety regulations that caused casualties. The Russian Federal Investigative Committee has detained three officials, including the mine director and site manager, on charges of violating industrial safety requirements at hazardous production facilities.

Meanwhile, TASS reported that this coal mine accident is the largest since the methane gas explosion at the 'Severnaya' coal mine in the Komi Republic in northwestern Russia in 2016, which killed 36 miners.