Kemerovo (Russia), May 9 (Inditop.com/RIA Novosti) Eleven miners were killed and 41 injured in two West Siberian coal mine blasts, authorities said Sunday.
A spokesman for the Russian emergencies ministry said Sunday that 64 miners and 20 rescuers are trapped in the mine at the moment.
Investigators suspect a breach in safety rules to be behind the deadly accident.
The explosion took place at 8.55 p.m. Saturday at the Raspadskaya coal mine in Kemerovo, when at least 359 people were inside, emergencies official Yelena Kalabushkina was quoted as saying by Xinhua Sunday.
After the explosion, 282 miners were rescued by relief workers, said Natalya Anayeva, a spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of Russian Prosecutor General’s Office.
Rescuers from 12 teams have established contact with some of the trapped miners.
Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu briefed President Dmitry Medvedev on measures adopted to save the miners.
“Medvedev ordered the Emergencies Ministry head to report about the rescue efforts and use every opportunity to rescue people,” the Kremlin press service said.
Established in 1973, the Raspadskaya coal mine is one of Russia’s leading coal producers, with total coal reserves estimated at 782 million tonnes.
