07-05-2025
Four people injured in fire at coal processing plant in Russia's Far East, officials say
Four people injured in fire at coal processing plant in Russia's Far East, officials say
Four people were injured in a fire at a coal processing plant in far northeastern Russia, Russian authorities and company officials said early on Wednesday.
Russian miner Mechel said in a statement that workers were evacuated from its coal processing plant in Neryungri in the Republic of Sakha, also known as Yakutia, after a methane fire began in a finished goods warehouse.
Mechel owns the Neryungri plant and its parent company, Yakutugol, the largest coal mining company in the Sakha Republic. According to Russian media, the Neryungri plant, which started operations in 1984, has an annual capacity of nine million tons of coal.
More than 50 firefighters and 12 pieces of equipment were involved in tackling the fire, Denis Gerasimenko, deputy chief of the Neryungri Firefighting and Rescue Squad, said in a video on the Telegram messaging app.
"The difficulty lies in the design of the building and the presence of a flammable load," Gerasimenko said.
Several Russian Telegram news channels reported an explosion at the plant. Reuters could not independently verify the reports of an explosion. REUTERS
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