Reuters
Russia detains coal co-owner over deadly Siberian accident
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia on Wednesday detained the co-owner of a major coal company and three of its senior managers to face charges over an explosion that killed 51 people at a Siberian mine last month. President Vladimir Putin has accused the management of the Listvyazhnaya mine in Siberia’s Kemerovo coal-producing region of falsifying methane levels to conceal the fact that its level was too high. The Investigative Committee that investigates major crimes said it had asked the court to remand the four individuals, including coal tycoon Mikhail Fedyaev whose company owns the mine, in custody on charges of flouting safety rules or abusing authority. The blast at the mine, located some 3,500 km (2,200 miles) east of Moscow, was Russia’s worst since 2010 when explosions killed 91 people at the Raspadskaya mine in the same region.
