An apparent methane blast ripped through a coal mine in Siberia early yesterday, killing at least eight miners and trapping dozens more underground, Russian officials said.
Thirteen miners were rescued or made it to the surface on their own after the blast at the Taizhina mine in the Kemerovo region, a duty officer in the regional emergency situations department said. He said rescuers were searching for 31 others.
Regional emergency department spokesman Valery Kovchagin told Ekho Moskvy radio that four of the 13 survivors were hospitalized with moderate injuries and burns, but the duty officer said later that only two miners remained hospitalized.
He said authorities believe a methane blast occurred at a depth of 560m, causing damage in the mine, and the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted mine director Valery Naumkin as saying its effects were hindering rescue efforts.
NTV television reported that rescuers were trying to reach the blast site from a neighboring mine and that voices could be heard from the rubble. Officials said they did not know how long the rescue operation would take.
Citing regional emergency officials, ITAR-Tass said the blast was not believed to have caused major structural damage or a fire. Channel One television said the site of the blast was five 5km from Taizhina's main shaft.
Kemerovo region governor Aman Tuleyev arrived at the scene to oversee rescue operations, ITAR-Tass reported.
Accidents are common in the Russian coal industry, and miners stage frequent protests over wage delays and declining safety standards.
In September 2002, one miner at Taizhina was killed and two were seriously injured when the roof of a ventilation shaft collapsed during reconstruction work, showering them with rocks.
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