Russia halts work at 12 mines over safety-Ifax
Source: Reuters
MOSCOW, March 27 (Reuters) - Russia's state safety watchdog has partially halted work at 12 Russian mines after safety checks following a mine blast that killed 108 people, the watchdog said on Tuesday. "As of today work has been stopped at 29 ... coalfaces at 12 mines in the region," Interfax news agency quoted Andrei Malakhov, head of the Rostekhnadzor watchdog in the Kemerovo region, as saying. The region is a coal-mining centre. The mines where work had been stopped included three operated by Yuzhkuzbassugol, owner of the mine where last week's accident happened. Last Monday's explosion at the Ulyanovskaya mine, also in the Kemerovo region, was the deadliest mining accident in Russia since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Two miners are still missing underground. The accident has brought safety standards in Russia's coal mines under intense scrutiny. Industry insiders say workers routinely cut corners on safety to meet production quotas.
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