Tungsten mine ordeal: 7 dead, 7 rescued

22 Oct, 2007 08:38 / Updated 17 years ago

The last survivors from a group of men trapped in a disused tungsten mine in the Siberian republic of Buriatia have been rescued. The accident claimed seven lives.

Initially, a group of men went to look for tungsten ore in the abandoned mine, ignoring warning signs. Underground, they encountered a build-up of gas, but one man managed to escape and raise the alarm. Around a dozen local former miners came to help. Once inside the mine, they were also affected by the gas.