ALROSA says may resume production at Mir mine in several years

MOSCOW, Nov 10 (PRIME) -- Russian uncut diamond giant ALROSA will be able to resume production at the Mir mine that was flooded in August in several years, CEO Sergei Ivanov told reporters on Friday.

“The deposit is good. I’m sure that after a project solution is developed we will be able to resume production within several years,” Ivanov said.

Rescuers brought 143 out of 151 miners to the surface and stopped the rescue operation at the end of the month.

Alexei Alyoshin, head of the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Oversight, said violations in project solutions and violations of industrial safety rules were the main reasons of the accident.

“…production at the mine was held in abnormally difficult mining conditions, there was no experience of designing and exploitation of such facilities previously,” he said.

The commission has determined 16 officials in charge of the accident, he added.

The service has estimated economic damage from the accident at 10.216 billion rubles, Alyoshin also said.

(59.2527 rubles – U.S. $1)

End