Mine Tragedy in Russia: Those killed included 11 miners who were confirmed dead and 35 reported missing.
Moscow:
A gas leak at a Siberian coal mine killed at least 52 people on Thursday, including six rescue workers sent down to try to rescue cargo, Russian news agencies said. dozens of men is considered one of Russia’s worst mining disasters since Soviet times.
The Regional Investigative Committee said three people, including the mine manager Listvyazhnaya and his deputy, were arrested on suspicion of violating industrial safety rules.
It said the miners were suffocated when a ventilation shaft filled with gas. State television said prosecutors believe there was a methane explosion.
The dead include 11 miners who have been confirmed dead, 35 people who have been reported missing, and six rescue workers.
Dozens of people were treated at hospitals, at least some of them due to smoke inhalation. Four people are in critical condition.
The Kemerovo coal-producing region, about 3,500 kilometers (2,200 mi) east of Moscow, has been plagued by deadly mining accidents for years.
The Listvyazhnaya mine is part of SDS-Holding, owned by the Siberian Private Enterprise Union. Owners were not immediately available for comment.
About 285 people were inside the mine when the smoke spread through the ventilation shaft, the Emergencies Ministry said. Authorities said 239 had surfaced.
President Vladimir Putin said he had spoken to the governor and emergency officials, and the Kremlin said he had ordered emergency ministers to fly to the region to help.
Kemerovo announced three days of mourning.
In 2007, the area was the site of the worst mining accident since the fall of the Soviet Union when an explosion at the Ulyanovskaya mine claimed the lives of more than 100 people. In 2010, explosions at the Raspadskaya mine in the region killed more than 90 people.
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