As previously announced, the alarm on the flash of methane in the face 0-6-1-13 of the mine’s section No. 8 was received on July 29 at 11:03 a.m. local time. The accident occurred during the repair shift’s operations at the depth of 310 meters. There were 41 miners in the accident area, who safely rose to the surface through the safety escapes. Overall, 17 miners were injured and received burns which are being treated at local hospitals, and they are listed in stable condition.

The emergency works currently being carried out are in keeping with the operational plan developed within the general safety plan. As of 9:00 a.m. local time (5:00 a.m. Moscow time) today, two units of the Novokuznetsk mine rescue brigade were working at the site to obtain information on the content of methane and carbonic oxide in the accident area’s air with the remote sampling lines. No mining operations are being carried out at the mine.

Today, Mechel OAO CEO Igor Zyuzin visited the site and also held a meeting at the accident safety headquarters. After that, Mr. Zyuzin, Southern Kuzbass OAO Managing Director Victor Skulditskiy, and the Mine Trade Union Chairman Nikolay Megis visited the injured miners at the Scientific and Clinical Center for Miners' Health Protection in the town of Leninsk-Kuznetskiy, Kemerovo Region.

The Mine Accident Investigation and Group Accident Investigation Commissions, chaired by the Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Service for Ecological, Technical and Atomic Supervision (Rostekhnadzor) Board for the Kemerovo Region, Vladimir Rychkovskiy, are carrying out their investigation into the cause of the accident. The Commissions include representatives from the city administration, Southern Kuzbass coal company, the Lenin Mine’s trade union, the Novokuznetsk mine rescue brigade, and the Mezhdurechensk Branch of the Social Insurance Fund.