Accidents Impact Severstal Coal Mine & ArcelorMittal South African Mill

Written by: Sandy Williams

A blast at the Vorkutinskaya coal mine, owned by Russian steelmaker Severstal, killed 18 people on Monday and left nine missing. There were 259 men in the mine when a methane build-up ignited. Most of the miners were able to escape on their own while others were rescued from the site. Several of the rescued miners are seriously injured and the missing nine miners are believed trapped in the rubble. An investigation has been opened to determine if safety violations caused the explosion. An investigation into possible safety violations has been launched by the Investigative Committee. The mine has been in operation since 1973 and produces 1.8 million tonnes (1.98 million tons) of coal per year.