Dec 9 (Reuters) – A seismic event caused a fire and halted operations at the Alardinskaya mine in southwestern Siberia, according to Russian officials and news reports on Monday.
Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Services confirmed that 120 miners were evacuated from the Alardinskaya mine, located in the Kuznetsk Basin (Kuzbass), a major coal-producing region. Two miners required medical treatment.
Reports from Russia’s RIA and TASS news agencies, citing the regional prosecutor’s office, stated that the seismic event likely triggered the fire, which is still not under control.
The Alardinskaya mine is part of the Raspadskaya coal group and has a production capacity of 3 million metric tons of coal annually, RIA reported.
Interfax news agency also reported that a Raspadskaya spokesperson confirmed operations at the mine have been suspended.
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