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Two mine blasts kill, trap Serbian miners
MOSCOW, (UPI) -- At least a dozen miners are confirmed dead following two methane gas explosions in a coal mine western Siberia, local emergency officials said Sunday.
Sixty-four workers were trapped by the first blast Saturday and 19 rescue workers were trapped when the second blast occurred about 4 1/2 hours later, RIA Novosti reported. Forty-one people were injured.
Local officials blamed the explosions on a rock collapse inside the Raspadskaya mine in Mezhdurechensk, about 2,300 miles east of Moscow, CNN reported.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said federal aid would be available to help respond to the disaster.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the situation was "very hard" and "tragic" at the Raspadskaya mine.
"The worst thing is that we can't send additional rescue forces to the mine in the absence of air ventilation," Putin said. "But we can't sit back and hope the situation will improve on its own. We must make maximum effort and do all we can to save the people."
MOSCOW, (UPI) -- At least a dozen miners are confirmed dead following two methane gas explosions in a coal mine western Siberia, local emergency officials said Sunday.
Sixty-four workers were trapped by the first blast Saturday and 19 rescue workers were trapped when the second blast occurred about 4 1/2 hours later, RIA Novosti reported. Forty-one people were injured.
Local officials blamed the explosions on a rock collapse inside the Raspadskaya mine in Mezhdurechensk, about 2,300 miles east of Moscow, CNN reported.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said federal aid would be available to help respond to the disaster.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the situation was "very hard" and "tragic" at the Raspadskaya mine.
"The worst thing is that we can't send additional rescue forces to the mine in the absence of air ventilation," Putin said. "But we can't sit back and hope the situation will improve on its own. We must make maximum effort and do all we can to save the people."
