An explosion at the Severnaya mine 10 years ago killed 36 people. What is known

A methane explosion occurred at the Severnaya coal mine in Vorkuta (Komi Republic) on February 25, 2016. As a result of the incident, 36 people were killed. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

The circumstances of the tragedy

The tragedy at the Severnaya mine occurred on February 25, 2016. A mountain impact and subsequent methane explosions occurred at a depth of about 1 km. At the time of the first incident, there was a shift of 88 miners underground. In total, from February 25 to March 1, six explosions were recorded at the facility, which led to collapses and a fire in the workings.

36 people became victims of the accident, including 31 miners and five mountain rescuers who participated in the search operation. Search and rescue operations were complicated by the incessant fire and the threat of new explosions. As a result, the mine had to be flooded to eliminate the fire, pumping more than 5 million cubic meters of water into it. The bodies of 26 victims have not been brought to the surface, and the enterprise remains mothballed.

Results of the investigation

The investigation revealed that the company had ignored industrial safety requirements for years. Despite the sensors detecting the dangerous concentration of methane, the work did not stop. It turned out that the management of the mine and the supervisory authorities were involved in corruption schemes. Vadim Larin, the former CEO of Severstal Management, disappeared in the UK and is wanted in the case of bribing officials of Rostechnadzor and the Labor Inspectorate.

The court found 11 people guilty, including Timofeev, the director of the mine, and other executives. Most of the defendants received sentences ranging from two to almost five years in a penal colony.

"According to the results of laboratory tests conducted by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the cause of the accident was a methane explosion. The fire is currently continuing behind the rubble, in the epicenter of the explosion, where 26 people may presumably remain underground," Tatyana Bushkova, head of the press service of Vorkutaugol JSC, told TASS, citing data from the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Assistance to victims' families

The families of the victims and the injured miners received significant financial support. The total amount of payments amounted to more than 323 million rubles. Funds were allocated from both federal and national budgets. The relatives of the victims were paid 2 million rubles each, and the victims, depending on the severity of their injuries, were paid from 400 to 800 thousand rubles.

A charity gathering was also organized in Vorkuta, thanks to which 4.6 million rubles were raised to support the families of the victims. According to Ilya Semyashkin, Minister of Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Komi Republic, 77 million rubles of lump-sum payments from the federal and regional budgets were sent to the victims and relatives of the victims.

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