Disaster in Russia: 52 people were killed in an explosion at a mine, there were no survivors

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Authorities in Russia announced tonight (Thursday) that there are no survivors in the blast that took place today at a coal mine in Siberia and that 52 people were killed, including six rescuers who tried to help the trapped. The mine manager, his deputy and another senior were arrested as part of the criminal investigation.

At around 9 a.m., a fire was reported at a Litviza mine in the Kemerovo region, about 3,500 km east of Moscow. The investigation revealed that coal dust ignited in a mine shaft and caused smoke inside the 250-meter-deep mine.

There were more than 280 people at the site and many of them managed to escape, but dozens more were trapped inside the mine, including rescue crews who tried to help workers get out of the place when the gas concentration caused a huge explosion. For hours it was not clear what happened to the missing, but tonight an official announcement came that there were no survivors and that 52 people had been killed, including six rescuers. Nearly forty wounded were hospitalized.

The Federal Commission of Inquiry has opened a criminal investigation on suspicion of violating safety regulations at hazardous production facilities that resulted in the deaths of at least two workers as a result of negligence. The mine manager, his deputy and the director of the department where the disaster occurred have been arrested and are expected to stand trial.

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This is not the first accident at the mine – in 2013, 13 people were killed in a methane gas explosion. According to a report examining the safety of 58 coal mines in Russia in 2016, 34 per cent were unsafe, however the Lithuanian mine did not appear on the list.

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