Rockslide at RUSAL unit’s mine in Sverdlovsk Reg blocks 1 miner

YEKATERINBURG, Aug 21 (PRIME) -- A rock slid in the Novo-Kalyinskaya mine of the North Urals Bauxite Mine (SUBR), a subsidiary of Russian aluminum giant UC RUSAL in the Sverdlovsk Region, blocking one miner, a spokeswoman for the regional Prosecutor General’s Office told PRIME on Wednesday.

“It was preliminarily established that at 4.40 p.m. local time a rockburst happened in the Novo-Kalyinskaya mine owned by JSC SUBR, part of RUSAL holding, at the depth of 1,040 meters. As a result, a rockslide happened. One worker was cut off by the rockslide,” the spokeswoman said.

The Emergency Ministry and an emergency response team of the company are now clearing the rocks and conducting a rescue operation. A source in the Emergency Ministry told PRIME that the fate of the blocked miner is unknown, and 56 miners remained underground.

The regional directorate of the Emergency Ministry said in a statement that the authorities did not evacuate the miners, and that the mine was operating as usual after the rockslide.

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