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All miners evacuated after coal mine fire in Kemerovo Region

The prosecutor’s officer has launched an investigation into compliance with laws on industrial safety and labor protection

MOSCOW, April 19. /TASS/. The evacuation of miners from the Raspadskaya mine in Russia’s Kemerovo Region, where a fire broke out, has been completed, the press service of the regional prosecutor's office told TASS on Wednesday. There were between 271 and 275 people in the mine, according to different data.

"Work has been suspended and everyone has been taken to the surface," the prosecutor's office said.

The prosecutor’s officer has launched an investigation into compliance with laws on industrial safety and labor protection. The region’s prosecutor charged with overseeing compliance with the law in the coal mining industry and the prosecutor of Mezhdurechensk have left for the scene.

The Raspadskaya mine is Russia's largest coal mine, with reserves of about 451 million tons. It is located near the town of Mezhdurechensk, home to about 100,000 people. In 2010, 91 people were killed and 99 were injured in two explosions at the mine, which destroyed about 300 kilometers of mine tunnels.