Miners die in Siberian coal mine

Forty-six miners have died following a methane blast that destroyed a coal mine in Siberia.

At presstime, hundreds of rescue workers were sifting through the rubble at the Taizhina mine in western Siberia, hoping to find two more missing miners.

Most of the country’s previous mining disasters have been blamed on old shafts, archaic equipment, and careless standards, whereas Taizhina had been considered one of the country’s most efficient coal mines.

The mine is owned by the Evrazholding Metals and Mining Group, and dates back to 1961. However, the section where the disaster occurred was relatively new, having opened in 1998.

Blasts usually occur after miners unknowingly release an underground pocket of methane gas. Mining tools give off sparks, and coal dust mixes with the methane to make it more combustible.

To avoid blasts, modern mines use a great deal of ventilation, sensitive detection equipment and sometimes removal of gas from coal beds. Russia’s mining industry has traditionally relied solely on detection.

Situated in Osikinna, a small town in Russia’s Kuzbass coal belt, the mine has supplied high-grade coking coal to Evrazholding’s steel mills.