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RUSSIA-MINE FIRE-MOURNING
All entertainment events were canceled in the Solikamsk district on Sunday and on Monday following the tragedy
MOSCOW, December 23,2018(BSS/TASS)- A national day of mourning was declared for Monday following the deadly fire in a mine in Solikamsk in Russia’s Urals, Governor of the Perm Region Maxim Reshetnikov told reporters.
“I have signed the documents on declaring the mourning in the region on December 24,” Reshetnikov said. All entertainment events were canceled in the Solikamsk district on Sunday and on Monday following the tragedy.
On Saturday morning, a fire broke out at a depth of 340 meters in the Solikamsk mine when construction work was underway by a contracting company. At that moment, 17 people were working underground, but just eight of them managed to come to the surface. Later, nine bodies of those trapped were found in the mine and they will be recovered soon.
According to representatives of Russian potash fertilizer producer Uralkali, which owns the mine, the smoke occurred after construction waste and foam had caught fire.
Investigators have launched a probe into safety rules negligence during construction works.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the authorities to provide every support for the relatives of the dead construction workers and investigate the circumstances of the tragedy.
BSS/TASS/RQ/1613HRS