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Rescuers resume search at Siberian coalmine accident site, says Emergencies Ministry

At present, the gas situation in the mine has stabilized

MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. Search operations have been resumed at the Listvyazhnaya coalmine in Russia’s Kemerovo Region, the Ministry of Emergency Situations told TASS on Thursday.

"At present, the gas situation in the mine has stabilized. Rescuers have resumed search operations. They headed to the emergency site to search for and transport the bodies of the deceased," the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.

As Director General of the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s Federal State Unitary Enterprise ‘Militarized Rescue Unit’, Nikolai Medvedev, stated, four rescue crews have headed to the mine. Two are going to conduct reconnaissance, while the rest are going to be in reserve. Two more crews began transporting the previously discovered bodies of the miners. A search of the accident site is in progress.

Rescue operations were suspended due to high concentrations of methane and the risk of an explosion. Inert gas, nitrogen and freon, were pumped into the mine to stabilize the situation. Water was also pumped from the drainage basin. There are 40 bodies of deceased miners in the mine, including two rescuers.

The tragedy at the Listvyazhnaya mine in Kuzbass’ Belovsky District, reported on the morning of November 25, left 51 dead, including five rescue workers. Two criminal cases have been filed over breaches of industrial safety requirements and negligence. Five people have been taken into custody, including the mine’s director and deputy director, the head of the mine segment, where the accident occurred, and two officials from the industrial safety regulator, who inspected the mine.