64 missing feared dead in Russia dam blast

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-18 23:05

Firemen and rescuers work in the debris of the damaged dam of Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station near Siberian village of Cheryomushki, about 520 km (323 miles) south of Krasnoyarsk, August 18, 2009. [Agencies]

64 missing workers feared dead in Russian accident

MOSCOW: Teams of divers scoured areas around Russia's largest hydroelectric plant on Tuesday but the plant's owner said it was doubtful that any of the 64 workers missing after an accident would be found alive.

"With every hour there is less and less chance left that we will find somebody alive," RusHydro spokesman Yevgeny Druzyaka told The Associated Press.

Monday's accident during repairs at the massive Sayano-Shushenskaya plant in southern Siberia drowned or crushed at least 12 workers and shut down electrical supplies to a wide region. Two workers were found alive Monday in niches inside the flooded structure, RusHydro acting chief Vasily Zubakin was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Federal investigators said an explosion destroyed walls and the ceiling in an engine room where turbines are located and caused the room to flood. One of the plant's 10 turbines was destroyed, two were partly destroyed while three others were damaged, officials said.

The plant's dam, a towering structure that stretches a kilometer (more than half a mile) across the Yenisei River, was not damaged and towns downstream were not in danger, Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

Regional Gov. Viktor Zimin refuted allegations that rescue teams had heard knocking sounds from inside the plant's structure as if workers trapped inside were calling for help. He said the dam's thick concrete walls would muffle any sounds from inside, Russian news reports said.

Former plant director Alexander Toloshinov, however, said some workers trapped in the flooded control room could have survived by finding a corner with some air left.

Three groups of divers were searching for the missing workers both inside the flooded rooms and in the Yenisei river outside, Shoigu said in televised comments, adding that the workers are now believed to have drowned or been crushed by the debris.

The accident shut down the power plant, located 2,050 miles (3,300 kilometers) east of Moscow, and left several towns and major factories without electricity on Monday. Supplies from other power plants were being rerouted Tuesday to help cover the shortfall.

It still was unclear how long other power plants would be able to continue making up for the energy shortage. The plant satisfies 10 percent of Siberia's energy needs, according to Russian media reports.

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