Russian reports say 52 dead in coal mine fire

Rescuers walk on the territory of the Listvyazhnaya coal mine in the Kemerovo region on Friday. Pic/AFP

Russian news agencies say a fire at a Siberian coal mine has killed 52 miners and rescuers. Officials previously said that rescuers found 14 bodies and the search for 38 people missing was halted for safety reasons, because of a build-up of explosive methane gas and a high concentration of toxic fumes from the fire.

The state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies cited emergency officials as saying that there was no chance of finding any survivors. The Interfax news agency cited a representative of the regional administration who also put the death toll from Thursday's fire at 52.

A total of 285 people were in the Listvyazhnaya mine in the Kemerovo region of southwestern Siberia when a fire erupted and smoke quickly filled the mine through the ventilation system. Earlier, rescuers led to the surface 239 miners, 49 of whom were injured.

Russia's Deputy Prosecutor General Dmitry Demeshin told reporters that the fire most likely resulted from a methane explosion caused by a spark.

38
No. of people missing in the fire

Rescuer found

Rescuers have found a survivor in the coal mine fire. Sergei Tsivilyov, governor of the Kemerovo region where the mine is located, said on the messaging app Telegram that the survivor was found in the Listvyazhnaya mine in southwestern Siberia, and ‘he was being taken to the hospital.' Acting Emergency Minister Alexander Chupriyan said the man found in the mine was rescuer Alexander Zakovryashin who had been presumed dead. "I can consider it a miracle," Chupriyan said.

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