Support The Moscow Times!

122 Miners Evacuated in Urals Fire

All 122 workers were safely evacuated from a mine in the Urals that caught fire early on Thursday, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

Rescuers immediately brought 112 of the 122 workers to the surface, eight more climbed out on their own and two remained to help put out the fire but were soon evacuated, the ministry told RIA-Novosti.

The fire started around 12:10 a.m. after an electric cable caught fire in a drill repair shop in the Novo-Kalyinskaya mine, at a depth of 920 meters. By around 1:30 a.m., all 122 workers had been evacuated safely.

The blaze, which covered an area of 3 square meters, was extinguished less than an hour after it broke out by 13 rescuers and a team of firefighters.

The mine has resumed normal operations, with the power supply shut off only at the site of the fire.

Read more