Gas Release at Alrosa Mine Kills Three – Report

Three people died in a methane release at Alrosa’s Udachny underground deposit in Russia late last month, according to a national media outlet.

Two more suffered injuries in the incident at the mine in the Yakutia region, Russia’s Interfax reported November 26.

Normal operations resumed at Udachny on November 27, Interfax said in a later report, which cited Alrosa’s press service. Alrosa CEO Pavel Marinychev promised financial assistance for families of the victims, the news service added. A criminal case has been opened, it noted.

Alrosa referred Rapaport News to the Interfax report and declined to comment further.

Udachny is Alrosa’s largest underground mine, with production of 4.4 million carats in 2021 — the last full year for which figures are available.

This was not the first fatal incident at an Alrosa mine. In 2017, a flood at the Mir underground site killed eight workers. The following year, one employee died at Udachny when explosives went off 580 meters below the ground.

Image: The Udachny underground mine. (Alrosa)