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The Raspadskaya mine explosion was a mine explosion in the Raspadskaya mine, located near
Mezhdurechensk Mezhdurechensk (russian: Междуреченск) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Mezhdurechensk, Kemerovo Oblast, a city in Kemerovo Oblast; administratively incorporated as a city under oblast jurisd ...
in
Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast — Kuzbass (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть — Кузба́сс, translit=Kemerovskaya oblast — Kuzbass, ), also known simply as Kemerovo Oblast (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть, label=non ...
, Russia, which occurred on 8 May 2010. It was believed to have been caused by a buildup of
methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...
. The initial explosion was followed by a second approximately four hours later which collapsed the mine's ventilation shaft and trapped several rescue workers. By 18 May 2010, 66 people were confirmed to have died with at least 99 others injured and as many as a further 24 unaccounted for.


History

The mine, owned by Russian company Raspadskaya, is the largest underground coal mine in Russia, producing 10% of the country's
coking coal Metallurgical coal or coking coal is a grade of coal that can be used to produce good-quality coke. Coke is an essential fuel and reactant in the blast furnace process for primary steelmaking. The demand for metallurgical coal is highly coupled ...
. It has a history of accidents and safety problems. In March 2001, another methane explosion killed four miners and injured six. The mine was shut down for two weeks in 2008 due to safety violations and a worker was killed after part of the mine collapsed in January 2010.


Incident

The first blast occurred at 20:55
Moscow Summer Time Moscow Time (MSK, russian: моско́вское вре́мя) is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia, and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second-westernmost of the eleven time zones of Russia. It has b ...
(16:55 UTC) with the second at 01:00 MST (21:00 UTC). The explosions were confirmed by investigators to have been caused by
methane gas Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...
. A secondary explosion was reported approximately four hours later, with 20 rescue workers now among those missing. The second explosion caused a collapse of the mine's ventilation shaft, drastically reducing the flow of fresh air into the mine. Rescue efforts were suspended after the second blast. By 18 May 2010, 66 people were confirmed to have died, at least 99 injured and 24 remained trapped underground. The Russian emergencies minister confirmed that rescue efforts were ongoing, saying "There is always a chance of recovery." Rescue work resumed late on May 9 after methane levels had dropped below safety limits and, at the peak of the operation, 560 people were involved with aid being sent from other parts of Russia.


Aftermath

Aman Tuleyev Amangeldy Gumirovich "Aman" Tuleyev (russian: Амангельды (Аман) Гумирович Тулеев, kk, Амангелді Молдағазыұлы Төлеев, ; born 13 May 1944) is a Russian statesman. He served as governor of Ke ...
, governor of
Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast — Kuzbass (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть — Кузба́сс, translit=Kemerovskaya oblast — Kuzbass, ), also known simply as Kemerovo Oblast (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть, label=non ...
, has taken charge of the rescue operation. The mine was evacuated after the first explosion and 282 people escaped to the surface. The Russian Energy Ministry has set up a task force to deal with the aftermath of the incident while
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
ordered a report from his emergencies minister and a junior energy minister, Vladimir Azbukin visited the scene. Medvedev ordered
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
to head a government commission dealing with the aftermath of the incident. The mine company agreed to pay 1 million
Russian ruble ''hum''; cv, тенкĕ ''tenke''; kv, шайт ''shayt''; Lak: къуруш ''k'urush''; Mari: теҥге ''tenge''; os, сом ''som''; tt-Cyrl, сум ''sum''; udm, манет ''manet''; sah, солкуобай ''solkuobay'' , name_ab ...
s in compensation (approximately
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
33,000) to the families of the dead with additional assistance from the state. A government spokesman released a statement in which he said "families of the deceased, children of miners will get all the necessary assistance. The government has already discussed the issue with the mine's owners". The event occurred the day before
Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...
and officials in the nearby town of
Mezhdurechensk Mezhdurechensk (russian: Междуреченск) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Mezhdurechensk, Kemerovo Oblast, a city in Kemerovo Oblast; administratively incorporated as a city under oblast jurisd ...
, where many of the mine's employees live, cancelled planned celebrations for the following day. A criminal investigation was launched into the incident by Russian authorities and
post-mortem examination An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any dis ...
s were carried out on the bodies of the miners to establish a precise cause of death. The tragedy provoked civil unrest in nearby
Mezhdurechensk Mezhdurechensk (russian: Междуреченск) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Mezhdurechensk, Kemerovo Oblast, a city in Kemerovo Oblast; administratively incorporated as a city under oblast jurisd ...
. Coal miners rallied and occasionally clashed with police, 28 were arrested. Governor Tuleyev met with the protesters and agreed with some of their demands.


The appeal of "The Union of Kuznetsk Basin Residents"

On 16 May a new movement "The Union of Kuznetsk Basin Residents" issued an appeal to the President, the people of Russia and to those who live in the region. The authors made five demands: release the detained in the town of Mezhdurechensk, increase miners' minimum salaries threefold, stop persecution of the independent trade union, withdraw the police forces brought from other regions, and introduce monthly meetings of the town administration with the residents. The authors said that they would wait for the reply from the President until 21 May. Then, if their demands were not satisfied, they promised to start political actions. The appeal appeared in blogs, including the specially created blog Golos Kuzbassa (''lit.'' Voice of Kuzbass) and community Mezhdurechensk (later the community moderators deleted the text). It was also published by some mass media. The State Duma deputy from the communists Nina Ostanina supported this appeal. According to her, if the region administration does not heed the demands of citizens, it may lead to events similar to those in Kyrgyzstan. The appeal was also supported by the
Solidarnost United Democratic Movement "Solidarnost" (russian: Объединённое демократическое движение «Солидарность»; ОДД «Солидарность»; ''Obyedinonnoye demokraticheskoye dvizheniye «Solidarno ...
movement and the All-Russian Strike Committee.


See also

*
Vorkuta mine disaster In February 2016, a series of explosions caused the deaths of 36 people, including 31 miners and five rescue workers, at the Severnaya coal mine 10 kilometres north of the city of Vorkuta, Komi Republic, Russia. The explosions were believed to b ...
—25-29 February 2016, methane explosion, 36 killed *
Yubileynaya mine The Yubileinaya mine is a coal mine in the Kemerovo Oblast area of Siberia, Russia. The mine is operated by Yuzhkuzbassugol, part owned by the Evraz Group who plan to take full ownership. Explosion On May 24, 2007, a methane explosion at the ...
—24 May 2007, methane explosion, 39 killed *
Ulyanovskaya Mine disaster The Ulyanovskaya Mine disaster was caused by a methane explosion that occurred on March 19, 2007 in the Ulyanovskaya longwall coal mine in the Kemerovo Oblast. At least 108 Retrieved on March 21, 2007 people were reported to have been killed by th ...
—19 March 2007, methane explosion, at least 108 killed


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raspadskaya mine explosion, 2010 May 2010 disasters in Russia Coal mining disasters in Russia 2010 mining disasters Kemerovo Oblast Explosions in 2010 Explosions in Russia May 2010 events in Russia