Tuesday, 28 October, 2003, 19:07 GMT
Setback for Russia mine rescue


Russian rescuers trying to reach 13 miners trapped underground in a flooded coal mine since Thursday admit they have run into difficulties.

There are fears that rescuers may have focused on the wrong area

They had succeeded in excavating a tunnel from a neighbouring mine and drilling a narrow hole from it into an area where they hoped the missing men were waiting in an air pocket.

Although no signs of life were immediately detected, no water came out of the shaft when the hole was bored, indicating the area was not completely flooded.

However, with time rapidly running out, there are hints that the rescue workers may have miscalculated - suggestions that they have strayed off course, the BBC's Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford says.

The evacuation tunnel should have been ready by now, our correspondent says, but work is proceeding painfully slowly.

Rescue teams have drilled and blasted their way through over 50 metres (164 feet) of rock and coal, but there is still no sign of the miners. So now rescuers are probing again for the cavity and trying to establish exactly how far they still have to go, but time is running out.

There are reports that the flood, caused when an underground lake spilled into the shaft where the men were working, has slowed slightly. But water is still leaking into the mine and there are worries that the supply of oxygen is almost critical.

Search teams are standing by on the surface, with ambulances and medics ready to deal with any casualties, but as yet they have not been called upon.

Plans rehearsed

Emergency workers are now planning to use dynamite to blast a passage way 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) high and 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) wide to reach the men, the AFP news agency reported.

Three five-man teams of mine rescue specialists, who have been rehearsing their movements above ground, will then enter the tunnel, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.

Timeline of events Thursday 23 October: Water leaks from an underground lake into a shaft where miners are working. At least 15 escape but 46 are trapped Friday 24 October: Rescuers begin tunnelling from two neighbouring mines and try to stop water flow Saturday 25 October: Emotional scenes as rescuers bring up 33 miners, but 13 are still unaccounted for Monday 27 October: Rescuers continue to dig a "tunnel of hope" towards the remaining men but are hampered by rising water, a gas leak and uncertainty over the men's position Tuesday 28 October: Rescuers drill a small hole into the shaft where men are thought to be but no signs of life are reported

A total of 46 miners were trapped in the accident, which cut off power and stranded the miners 800 metres (2,600 feet) underground.

Thirty-three men were brought out on Saturday to emotional scenes.

Exhausted relatives of those still trapped remain outside the main shaft, wrapped in anoraks and fur hats against the cold as they await news of the men and pray with local priests.

"What am I to do with my children?" one weeping woman asked Reuters as she clutched her daughter. "He was our breadwinner."

Poor safety

The 13 who are still missing include mine director Vasily Avdeyev - who was on his first day in the job when the accident happened.

Accidents are frequent in coal mines in Russia and its ex-Soviet neighbour, Ukraine.

Apart from the natural hazards associated with the work, miners complain of deteriorating safety conditions.

A similar incident at Zapadnaya in February was blamed on a lack of maintenance work at the mine, which had led to the creation of the underground lake.

There were no casualties on that occasion.