By
Tyler Kingkade
-
NBC News
At least 52 people were killed in a fire at a coal mine in Siberia, the Russian news agency TASS reported Thursday.
About 285 people were at the Listvyazhnaya mine
in Belovo, Russia
on Thursday
when a fire filled it with smoke, according to The Associated Press (AP) news agency.
Most of the miners were evacuated in time, but dozens were trapped underground in a remote section of the mine.
[Collapse in a mine buries seven miners in Coahuila]
Specialists in front of emergency vehicles during the rescue operation at the Listvyazhnaya coal mine in Siberia, Russia, on November 25, 2021.ALEXANDER PATRIN / REUTERS
The rescue operation had to be suspended due to high levels of methane and carbon monoxide, according to the Interfax news agency.
Six rescuers died during the operation.
Russia's Investigative Committee in the Kemerovo region announced the opening of a criminal investigation for possible violations of safety requirements at dangerous production sites.
Investigators believe a methane explosion was the cause of the fire
, which spread to other parts of the mine through vents, Reuters reported citing Russian state television.
The mine manager and two top managers were arrested on suspicion of violating safety rules, according to Reuters and The Associated Press.
Kemerovo Governor Sergey Tsivilyov declared three days of mourning for the victims, according to the TASS news agency, for which the flags will be flown at half-staff and all local entertainment events and television programs will be canceled.
They find the remains of the last miner trapped in the coal mine that collapsed in Coahuila
June 11, 202100: 25
Dozens of miners were still admitted to a hospital this Thursday.
Reuters characterized the incident as
one of Russia's worst mining disasters since the Soviet Union era.
The owner of the coal mine, the SDS company, which is part of the privately owned Siberian Business Union, informed TASS in a statement that it will pay the families of the dead two million rubles, about $ 26,780, with a additional compensation based on each case.
