IRKUTSK, October 22 (RIA Novosti) - Twelve people were rescued and seven died after becoming trapped in an abandoned tungsten ore mine in southeast Siberia, local emergencies services reported on Monday.
"Rescuers have saved the last survivors. All of them will need urgent medical assistance. A total of seven people died in the mine," the services spokesman said.
A group of people illegally entered the mine in the Buryatia Republic on Friday in search of wolframite, one of the main ores of tungsten, which is used in weapons production. The people suffered from gas poisoning but one managed to get out. Several local residents then descended into the pit in a rescue attempt.
As of Monday morning, eight people remained underground, including three dead. In the afternoon, rescuers found the bodies and the five survivors, bringing the total number of people rescued to 12.
Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn, president of the Buryatia Republic, arrived at the site on Monday morning to discuss the ongoing search and rescue operation with rescuers and local authorities.
Nagovitsyn said the mine should be put back into legal operation, and a new owner should be found. The mine's operator, the state-owned Dzhidinsky wolframite-molybdenum combine, was declared bankrupt in 2001.
The mine, whose reserves are estimated at 40,000 metric tons of wolframite, was closed in December 1997. However, despite warning signs outside the mine, local residents had continued to descend into the pit in search of the valuable ore.
Nagovitsyn instructed the local administration to hold a tender or an auction on leasing the mine.
"The president proposed finding a new owner for the mine so that people can earn money legally," a local government spokesman said. "The mine can still bring profit to some company."
