Explosion Kills 66 Coal Miners in Siberia
Twin methane gas explosions claimed 66
lives and injured 129 at the Raspadskaya
longwall mine in Siberia—the largest
underground coal mine in Russia. The
remains of another 24 miners have not
been recovered. After being berated by
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on national
television, the mine’s director, Igor Volkov,
was ousted. A special investigation committee
formally charged Volkov with criminal
negligence. He faces up to seven years
in prison if convicted. The government is
considering more charges against other
mine officials. Although the cause of the
explosions has not been determined, investigators
say the ignitions follow a high
build-up of methane. Miners have admitted
they ignored methane readings to boost
production to earn extra pay. Located in the
Kemerovo region, the mine produced more
than 9 million mt/y of coking coal and its
closure has had a significant impact on
steel mills and coking coal prices.
As featured in Womp 2010 Vol 05 - www.womp-int.com