Photo: Vladimir Yurlov / Sputnik / Scanpix

On February 25, a series of deadly explosions hit a mine in the town of Vorkuta, in Russia's Komi Republic (about 1,000 miles northeast of Moscow). The disaster has claimed 36 lives, killing both miners and rescue workers. On the morning of Monday, February 29, the mine was still on fire, and there was another powerful explosion (though no one was killed in this latest blast). Meduza recaps the tragic events, and examines the leading explanations for why this happened.

What happened?

The first explosions occur on Thursday, February 25. At a depth of 780 meters (2,559 feet), there is a sudden release of methane gas, leading to two blasts that collapse the mine shaft. These explosions also start a fire. At the time of the incident, there are 111 people in the mine. Initial reports from the miners, while they still have communication with the surface, say there are no fatalities. Soon, however, the bodies of four miners are discovered. The miners also report that nine of their crew have been injured and exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning. Contact with the miners is lost on February 26, after which the men are officially listed as missing.

Rescuer workers die in the mine. In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 28, there's another explosion; it kills five rescuers and another miner. Because of the blast, rescue efforts are suspended. The company that owns the mine, Rostekhnadzor, says it's become impossible to carry out any kind of work in the mine.

The miners still trapped underground are declared dead. Vladimir Puchkov, the head of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations, announces that there is no longer any chance of rescuing the buried miners. Puchkov says the area is without oxygen and at extremely high temperatures.

The family of a deceased miner says there were known safety violations at the mine. The daughter and widow of a killed miner say it was known roughly three weeks earlier that the mine was at risk of an explosion because of dangerous gas leaks. The women say the mine's administrators asked their crew to shut down and bury the mine's gas detectors. Rostekhnadzor denies these claims, calling the explosions “a natural phenomenon.”

They might flood the mine. The mine's technical director, Denis Paikin, says emergency crews are currently considering two ways to put out the fires: flooding the mine with water, or sealing the mine to cut off the air supply.

The Komi Republic has declared three days of mourning. The region will officially mourn from February 28 until March 1. Cultural institutions and entertainers are being encouraged to cancel or reschedule public events. Acting Mayor Sergei Gallikov has ordered the state to assist victims' families.

How did it happen? (Four theories)

The preliminary theory: a rock burst. Immediately after the first explosion on February 25, the media reported that there had been a “rock burst”—a spontaneous, violent fracture of rock that can occur in deep mines. Heavy pressure on brittle rocks causes rock bursts, releasing minerals, loud shock waves, and strong air currents into mines.

The official theory: a natural disaster. On February 26, the mine's owner announced that the results of its laboratory studies showed the reason for the catastrophe was a methane explosion. Three days later, a local official from Rostekhnadzor said, “According to the materials we've received and the preliminary data, the accident resembles a natural occurrence and was mining-geological event.” According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, an analysis of data from Rostekhnadzor and the Federal Investigative Committee revealed that there was a sudden release of methane. There was no record of any gradual buildup of methane gas, which the mine's gas detectors would have sensed.

The union's theory: a breach in security protocol. Alexander Sergeyev, the head of the Independent Trade Union of Russian Miners, discussed in an interview some of the standard safety measures taken in mines to prevent rock bursts and methane emissions. In particular, Sergeyev described the practice of drilling methane drainage boreholes, on which he says the mining company skimped, in an effort to save money. (Sergeyev claims they drilled in places one or two holes “for show,” instead of the mandatory ten.) The publicist Vladimir Golyshev has argued that the mine's owner started violating safety protocols after the arrest of the Komi Republic's governor, Vyacheslav Gaizer, whose administration had clashed with the company.

The victim's families' theory: the mining company ignored evidence recorded by the methane detectors. Daria Tryasukho, the daughter of one of the deceased miners, said in an interview with the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets that her father mentioned—as long ago as three weeks before the disaster—high concentrations of methane recorded in the mines and the danger of an explosion. She says the mining company asked workers to bury the gas detectors responsible for recording methane levels. Any miners who opposed the policy, Tryasukho says, were invited to find work elsewhere. The relative of another victim in the tragedy has confirmed Tryasukho's claims.

Alexey Mordashov, the general director for Severstali (the mine's parent company), told reporters that tampering with the gas detectors is impossible, as they're all linked into a single monitoring system that's designed to make it impossible to move them or hide their signals.