Miners rescued from collapsed area

Four miners, who spent a day and a half under a goaf in a coal mine of Kuzbass (Siberia) have been rescued. They underwent a medical examination and were let go home.

An explosion of methane and a collapse of the ceiling occurred in the Ziminka mine on Monday, June 16. Eleven miners perished and two others were hospitalised.

This morning four miners, who were staying in the collapsed area were rescued. The rescuers and miners made their way to the trapped miners by two ways. A corridor from the above-lying -7-meter-long roadway was drilled by 7 o'clock a.m., and the miners were rescued.

Governor of the Kemerovo Region Oman Tuleyev rang the rescued miners up, asked about their health, and congratulated them on the rescue from underground captivity. Furthermore, Tuleyev said that it had been decided to recommend the miners for Regional decorations. The members of the mining rescue team and the Ziminka miners who specially distinguished themselves during the rescue work will also be put forward for rewards.

A total of 100 miners were working in that shift in the mine during the explosion. According to the preliminary version, the explosion of methane could be caused by a short circuit in a drilling machine.