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Russian gold mine fire kills 12 Russian gold mine fire kills 21
(about 14 hours later)
Several miners remain trapped following a fire in a gold mine in Russia that has killed at least 12 colleagues. At least 21 miners are now known to have died after a fire in a gold mine in Russia which broke out on Thursday, according to local officials.
The blaze broke out between 85m and 130m (230-430ft) below ground in the Darasun mine in Chita in Siberia. Five bodies were brought out of the mine late on Saturday. The fate of another four miners is still unknown.
Three men managed to escape the mine early on Saturday, two days after the fire started. They said at least five others were still alive in the mine. The blaze broke out between 85m and 130m (230-430ft) below ground in the Darasun mine in Chita, eastern Siberia.
Rescue work has been hampered by smoke, and 15 miners saved from the blaze were treated for smoke inhalation. A total of 39 miners are known to have survived, of whom eight escaped after two days inside the mine.
Those of us who could... got out. The remaining are still down there. My brother's there. I can't say any more Nikolai BronnikovRussian miner They were greeted by tearful relatives before being rushed to hospital to check for hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Specialist teams arrived on Saturday at the Darasun mine, which is about 4,700km (2,900 miles) east of Moscow, Russian emergency officials said. One described how they managed to stay alive.
Hope of survivors "Nobody panicked, nobody quarrelled," Yevgeny Slivka told Russian TV from his hospital bed.
"We shared one cigarette among the eight of us, we had two pieces of lard that we split into small equal pieces among all, we spread the bread evenly, too - nobody yelled at one each other ... everybody managed to stay together."
Shares fall
The cause of the fire is not yet clear, though one report said it was set off by welding work.The cause of the fire is not yet clear, though one report said it was set off by welding work.
Of the 64 miners underground when the fire took hold on Thursday, 31 crawled out within hours.Of the 64 miners underground when the fire took hold on Thursday, 31 crawled out within hours.
The company which owns the mine, Highland Gold Mining, said the bodies of 12 miners had been recovered. Rescue teams arrived on Saturday at the mine, which is about 4,700km (2,900 miles) east of Moscow, Russian emergency officials said.
After the further three who escaped on Saturday, 18 remain unaccounted for. Another three miners emerged unaided on Saturday and helped rescuers to locate five more colleagues.
"The main thing today and now is to save the people and finish off this rescue operation," said Dmitry Yakushkin, the company's communication director. Highland Gold Mining, a Jersey-registered company which owns the mine, saw its shares fall more than 7% during trading on the London Stock Exchange on Friday morning.
A spokesman for Russia's emergencies ministry said there was still hope of finding survivors.
The trapped miners have breathing devices that should help them survive for several hours, Russian media reported.
One miner described what happened when the blaze broke out.
"It got smoky. Those of us who could - there was five of us - got out. The others are back in the mine," Nikolai Bronnikov told Russian TV.
"Other guys used emergency exits and got to the surface. The remaining are still down there. My brother's there. I can't say any more."
Highland Gold Mining, which is registered in Jersey, saw its shares fall more than 7% during trading on the London Stock Exchange on Friday morning.
Russia's gold mines have a better safety record than the coal-mining industry, where many accidents have happened since the early 1990s.Russia's gold mines have a better safety record than the coal-mining industry, where many accidents have happened since the early 1990s.