KEMEROVO, March 27 (RIA Novosti) – Rescuers are searching for four miners who are missing following a flood at a coal mine in southwestern Siberia’s Kemerovo Region, local officials said on Wednesday.
Some 143 miners were working underground at the Osinnikovskaya coal mine when flooding occurred late on Tuesday, caused by construction work at the site, the local administration said in a statement.
A total of 139 miners were rescued from the mine, which belongs to EvrazHolding. Three of them had sustained minor injuries. The fate of the four missing miners remains unknown.
Kemerovo Region Governor Aman Tuleyev is leading the effort to deal with the consequences of the accident. He has set a three-day deadline for the heads of local mining companies to conduct safety checks at the region’s mines, according to the statement.
Kemerovo is part of Russia’s major coal-producing Kuzbass region.