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West Siberian mine hit by two blasts, casualty reports vary (WRAPUP)

© RIA Novosti . Ilya PitalevWest Siberian mine hit by two blasts
West Siberian mine hit by two blasts - Sputnik International
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At least eight people were killed in two blasts which rocked a West Siberian mine on Saturday and Sunday, and dozens of miners and rescuers are missing.

At least eight people were killed in two blasts which rocked a West Siberian mine on Saturday and Sunday, and dozens of miners and rescuers are missing.

The Russian emergencies ministry's press service said 11 people were killed in the blasts, and 41 injured.

The local emergencies service puts the death toll at eight, with 45 people injured.

A total of 64 workers were trapped after the first blast, which took place late on Saturday. Four hours later another blast rocked the mine, leaving 20 rescuers unaccounted for.

Shortly after the second blast the rescue operation was suspended amid fears that more explosions may follow.

FIRST BLAST

An emergencies ministry officer said the first explosion occurred at 8:55 p.m. Moscow time (16:55 GMT). There were about 370 people in the mine at the moment of the blast, and some 280 were rescued shortly after the accident.

A total of 12 rescue teams were involved in search and rescue efforts. Rescuers from neighboring regions were put on alert immediately if assistance required.

A spokeswoman for the regional investigation department said the cause of the first blast was being established.

"It definitely was a blast. We are now trying to establish if the explosion was caused by firedamp or by pulverized coal," Natalya Ananyeva said.

Russian energy ministry set up a special group to deal with the rescue effort and the aftermath of the explosion.

SECOND BLAST

The second blast took place some four hours later, at about 1:00 a.m. Moscow time [21:00 GMT].

An eyewitness told RIA Novosti that the second blast broke windows in several buildings and caused several structures to partially collapse.

The most serious damage was paid to a four-storey building where the main entrance to the mine was located. It was leveled to the ground almost completely, he said.

A miner, who worked in Raspadskaya for over 15 years, told RIA Novosti that the second explosion took place about half an hour after the first one and was so powerful that it knocked people on the surface off their feet.

SEARCH AND RESCUE SUSPENDED

Rescue works were suspended in the mine after the second blast, the region's governor told journalists.

"The operation was suspended amid fears of more explosions... It is simply dangerous to send more people down there," Aman Tuleyev said.

Contact was lost with 20 rescuers who were working in the mine at the moment of the second blast.

Law-enforcers, who are currently working at the site of the accident, earlier said that of the nine rescue teams only six returned back to surface. The remaining three units currently remain unaccounted for.

RUSSIAN REGIONS SENDING AID

Despite the suspension of the rescue efforts, Russian regions are sending aid.

An Il-76 plane of the Russian emergencies ministry took off from the Ramenskoye airfield at 06:05 Moscow time [2:05 GMT]. It has 12 rescuers from the Central Russia Tula Region onboard, as well as seven psychologists to help relatives of those killed.

"A plane and a helicopter are getting ready to take off from neighboring regions," a source in West Siberia's regional emergencies service said.

The neighboring Republic of Khakassia is getting ready to send 24 rescue workers and investigators onboard an An-24 plane.

Another Siberian region, Krasnoyarsk is expected to send a Mi-26 helicopter carrying 24 rescuers along with officers with search-and-rescue dogs and a team of psychologists, the source added.

NO FRESH AIR

The flow of fresh air to the mine was cut down almost completely by the second blast, which destroyed the main ventilation shaft, Tuleyev said.

"An inflow of air must be resumed to continue search for miners and rescuers who are currently under ground," he said.

A miner, who worked in Raspadskaya, told RIA Novosti that all miners are provided with breathing gas masks while at work. He, however, did not specify for how long they can be used.

SAFETY VIOLATIONS SUSPECTED

Investigators are currently working at the site of the accident. A criminal case was launched into the accident amid suspicions that it was caused by breaches in safety rules.

"Officers of the investigation department already started interviewing eyewitnesses: the operator on duty and those who were at the facility during the accident," a spokeswoman for the regional investigation department said.

She said five bodies were brought to surface and are currently being examined in order to determine the exact cause of death.

KEMEROVO, May 9 (RIA Novosti)

 

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