Searchers look for Russian miners

Story Highlights

• 107 people died, and three remain missing, according to reports
• Accident occurred at the Ulyanovskaya mine in Kemerovo region
• A special investigative team is on its way to the site of the disaster

Adjust font size:

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Hopes dimmed, as rescue teams searched for survivors, a day after an explosion ripped through a coal mine in southwestern Siberia, killing 107 people, officials said.

Three people remained missing, according to The Associated Press and Reuters. The blast killed 107 miners; another 93 have been rescued, both wires report.

President Vladimir Putin sent regional governor Aman Tuleyev a telegram conveying his sympathy for relatives of victims and support for survivors, according to AP.

Putin demanded an investigation of the accident, according to the Kremlin. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said it sent a special investigative team to the disaster site.

The tragedy at the Ulyanovskaya mine in Kemerovo region came hours before 62 people died in a fire at a care home in southern Russia. (Full story)

The cause of the blast is believed to be either a buildup of methane gas or a discharge of coal dust, according to ministry spokesman Valery Korchagin

"Probably, it will become clear when the specialists have done their work," he said.

Mine disasters in the area are common occurrences. In 2005, 21 miners were killed in one incident. In 2004, another incident killed 45 workers.

The mine is in the city of Novokuznetsk, about 3,000 kilometers (1,850 miles) east of Moscow. It is in a major Russian industrial region, with some of the world's largest deposits of coal.

Russian coal mines are notoriously run down and outdated, but Ulyanovskaya was relatively modern. It opened in 2003 and officials said it was being fitted with a British-made hazard monitoring system when the blast took place.

At least 20 of the coal mine's local managers -- as well as a British citizen who was inspecting the monitoring system -- are believed to be among the dead.

The huge mine is operated by Yuzhkuzbassugol, an affiliate of Russian coal and steel company Evraz Group SA, which acquired a 50 percent stake in the company in 2005.

Yuzhkuzbassugol spokesman Eduard Sivtsov told Russian television channel NTV that rescuers were checking a large section of the mine for survivors.

"Their work is complicated by a great number of obstructions," he said, according to AP.

Quota systems

Some government officials have accused private companies of cutting corners on safety measures to save money.

Alexander Sergiev, chairman of the Independent Coal Miners' Union, said the Ulyanovskaya mine used new equipment, but he said accidents were always possible.

He said miners may have encountered methane while working and he called for new safety regulations to help prevent such accidents.

"It's necessary, in my view, to pass legislation forbidding underground coal mining without the required (ventilation) from the surface for methane," he told Ekho Moskvy radio, AP reported.

Sergiev also blamed quota systems that encourage miners to increase their output which could potentially lead to mistakes.

The families of the dead each will receive at least $25,000 in compensation, Kemerovo Gov. Aman Tuleyev was quoted by ITAR-Tass news agency as saying.

CNN's Igor Krotov in Atlanta and Matthew Chance in Moscow contributed to this report.

Tools:
Save |
Print |
E-mail |
Most Popular |

Next story in World

World

What are E-mail Alerts? | Manage Alerts | Create Your Own

Get up-to-the minute news from CNN

CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.