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Russian coalmine chief faces criminal charges

© RIA Novosti . Aleksey Nikolskiy / Go to the mediabankRaspadskaya coalmine
Raspadskaya coalmine - Sputnik International
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The head of Russia's special investigations committee on Tuesday ordered criminal charges to be filed against the director of a west Siberian coalmine where an accident killed at least 66 miners.

The head of Russia's special investigations committee on Tuesday ordered criminal charges to be filed against the director of a west Siberian coalmine where an accident killed at least 66 miners.

Igor Volkov, the head of the Raspadskaya mine, resigned earlier on Tuesday, a day after he was severely criticized by Russia's prime minister.

Vladimir Putin said Monday Russia's industrial safety regulator had sought Volkov's resignation last year over "numerous violations."

Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the special investigations committee, said prosecutors could charge other coalmine managers whose actions could have caused the tragedy.

Mine spokeswoman Galina Kovalchuk said Gennady Kozovoy, the Raspadskaya Coal Company general director, would be the acting head of the mine.

Two explosions hit the Raspadskaya mine near Mezhdurechensk on the night of May 8-9. Sixty-six bodies have been recovered from the mine, but fears of fresh explosions forced a halt to search operations last week with 24 people still missing underground.

Raspadskaya is owned by steelmaker Evraz, controlled by tycoon Alexander Abramov (40%) and billionaire Roman Abramovich (40%).

MOSCOW, May 18 (RIA Novosti)

 

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