Dozens missing after Russian coal mine blast kills 11
13 replies, posted
[quote]At least 11 miners have been killed and 83 others are trapped following two explosions at Russia's largest underground coal mine.
Twenty of those still in the Raspadskaya mine, in western Siberia, are rescuers sent in following the first blast, officials say.
Emergency services officials say at least 41 miners have been injured.
Many of Russia's mines have poor safety records, and there have been calls for standards to be tightened.
More than 300 were underground when the first explosion happened just before midnight on Saturday and most were brought safely to the surface. Reports blamed the blast on methane gas.
Officials said 11 miners died in the first explosion.
The second explosion came about three hours later and contact with a team of 20 rescuers was lost.
Rescue efforts were then suspended, although were due to resume on Sunday evening, a rescuer told Itar-Tass news agency.
"The mine is being ventilated to reduce the concentration of gas. There is no contact with the workers inside the mine," he was quoted as saying.
The governor of Siberia's western Kemerovo region, Aman Tuleyev, has taken charge of the rescue operation.
He said the second blast had destroyed the main air shaft, causing more injuries, and there was a risk of more explosions.
"The rescue work will continue when the atmosphere in the mine is restored, but to conduct rescue work now means to send people to their death," he said.
Emergency teams are now trying to pump air into the underground shafts.
Vladimir Putin said the rescue operation should resume as soon as possible.
Speaking at a meeting with emergency officials broadcast on state TV, the Russian Prime Minister said: "It is clear that the situation at the mine is very hard. I would say that it is tragic.
"The saddest thing is that we cannot send in additional rescuers now as it is very dangerous due to the lack of ventilation.
But we cannot sit on our hands and must do everything to save people," he was quoted as saying by AFP.
State TV pictures showed that the explosions had been so powerful that buildings on the surface had been badly damaged.
The mine, about 3,500km (1,900 miles) east of Moscow, produces about eight million tons of coal a year, according to its website.
Kemerovo is part of the major coal-producing Kuzbass region.[/quote]
[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8670470.stm[/url]
[QUOTE=bravehat;21836291]:ohdear:
Poor miners.
..wait, why don't they dig themselves out, they're miners.[/QUOTE]
Because they're not diggers.
[QUOTE=Glitch360;21840313]Right on Victory Day,too...[/QUOTE]
They probably didn't dig it.
I'm going to digg this thread!
What if it was a possible terrorist attack as a follow up on the metro system attacks? Also poor miners.. Must be terrible to be trapped in absolute dark with diminishing air.
[QUOTE=Xyrec;21840862]I'm going to digg this thread![/QUOTE]
Your heart is as black as coal.
I find this to be one of the worst ways to die, it can be a combination of many things, from asphyxiation to being crushed, and explosions have a habit of starting underground coal fires which could only worsen the situation. If the initial blast doesn't kill them, the gasses trapped inside could, or a possible spreading fire. On top of that, if they don't get dug out in time, they can die of hunger or lack of water. Not to mention there is no direct like to oxygen down there.
[QUOTE=BANNED USER;21842742]I find this to be one of the worst ways to die, it can be a combination of many things, from asphyxiation to being crushed, and explosions have a habit of starting underground coal fires which could only worsen the situation. If the initial blast doesn't kill them, the gasses trapped inside could, or a possible spreading fire. On top of that, if they don't get dug out in time, they can die of hunger or lack of water. Not to mention there is no direct like to oxygen down there.[/QUOTE]
You would die of thirst alot faster than hunger, and probably a large majority of them are already dead due to asphyxiation.. That is if they didn't have emergency oxygen supplies.
Ah jeeze, not another mine explosion!
God damn.
Do you have no souls? It is a very [I]coaled[/I] thing saying all these puns.
83? Hope they make it out alive :ohdear:
Explosions are indeed [I]bad, [/I]Russia.
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