At least 12 people were killed in an explosion at a mine in Arctic Russia that extracts raw materials for fertilizer production, officials said on Friday, the worst accident this year in Russia's mining industry.
Years of neglect after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union have made Russia's mines, which employ a quarter of a million people, among the most dangerous in the world.
"At the moment we know that 12 people died," said Irina Gretskaya, spokeswoman for the emergencies ministry in the city of Murmansk. "The reasons are still being investigated."
The mine is operated by a company called Apatit, a major Russian producer of the phosphate mineral apatite used in making fertilizer. Apatit is part of the PhosAgro fertilizer group.
Apatit said another six people were wounded in the blast which occurred at 8:33 p.m. local time on Thursday when workers were laying explosives in preparation for a controlled blast planned for December 15.
"The fire has been extinguished," the company said in a statement. "At the site of the explosion, search and rescue operations are being conducted and experts are working."
Russia's mining safety watchdog, Rostekhnadzor, said it would investigate the blast at the Rasvumchorrsky mine.
Last year 110 people were killed in a blast in a Siberian coal mine — Russia's worst mining accident in recent years. A series of deadly accidents have struck mines in neighboring Ukraine this year.
