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Siberia mine accident: Rescuer found alive

November 26, 2021

After expecting no more survivors following a devastating fire at a coal mine in Russia — one more person was found alive. Over 50 people were killed in the accident — including 46 miners.

https://p.dw.com/p/43X1E
Russian Emergencies Ministry employees work at the fire site at the Listvyazhnaya coal mine in the town of Belovo in the Kuznetsk Coal Basin in Kemerovo Region, southwestern Siberia
It was presumed that no more survivors would be found in the Listvyazhnaya coal mine in the town of BelovoImage: Kemerovo Region Branch of the Russian Emergencies Ministry/TASS/imago images

Rescuers in Siberia have found a survivor in a coal mine where dozens of miners are presumed dead, an official announced Friday.

Acting Emergency Minister Alexander Chupriyan said the man found in the mine was a rescuer who had been presumed dead.

Sergei Tsivilyov, governor of the Kemerovo region, said on the messaging app Telegram that the rescuer was found in the Listvyazhnaya mine in southwestern Siberia, and that "he is being taken to hospital."

Tsivilyov added that he didn't expect any more survivors to be found.

What happened?

Reports indicated that the accident involved coal dust catching fire, causing smoke to fill the mine through the ventilation system. Deputy Prosecutor General Dmitry Demeshin said that according to preliminary data, the accident was caused by a methane explosion.

Over 50 people died in the tragedy, including five rescuers, and it was previously presumed no more survivors would be found.

Siberia mourns

The mining region began three days of mourning on Friday.

Flags flew at half-mast outside official buildings in Kemerovo — the region in southwestern Siberia were the explosion occurred — while grief-stricken relatives of the victims wept outside the snow-covered mine.

jsi/rs (AP, AFP)