Nine Feared Dead in Russian Mine Fire
Nine workers were feared dead Saturday after a fire in a Russian potash mine in the Urals town of Solikamsk, local officials said.
Moscow, Dec 22 (AFP) Nine workers were feared dead Saturday after a fire in a Russian potash mine in the Urals town of Solikamsk, local officials said.
"Smoke appeared during the construction of a well. Nine workers were in the zone, and there is reason to believe that these people have died," said a statement issued by an enquiry commission in the Perm region, about 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) east of Moscow.
The commission said that eight other people who were also underground when smoke appeared were evacuated without injury, while Russian television showed smoke billowing from the mine.
The Russian group Uralkali, a leading potash producer, operates the mine but said in a statement that the nine missing workers were employed by a subcontractor.
Potash is a common ingredient in fertiliser.
The last major Russian mining accident occurred in August 2017, when eight workers disappeared during a flood in a Siberian diamond mine. (AFP) SCY
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)