WORLD> Europe
Russian power plant death toll hits 47
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-22 00:36

MOSCOW: The death toll from an accident at Russia's largest hydroelectric plant rose to 47, with 28 others still missing, Russian news agencies reported Friday.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited the power plant to oversee the investigation and promised compensation for the victims' families.

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Putin acknowledged there is little hope anyone could still be alive after four days in near-freezing waters.

"We can see what's happened. Let's not pretend," Putin told officials in televised remarks after touring the plant.

Meanwhile, prosecutors dismissed speculation that the disaster was caused by a terrorist attack after Chechen rebels claimed responsibility for the catastrophe.

"A theory suggesting a terrorist attack has not been confirmed, " Interfax quoted Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the investigative committee of Russian prosecutors, as saying.

The accident at the Siberian plant, located on the Yenisei River, occurred Monday when the facility's third and fourth culverts were damaged, destroying walls and submerging the engine room.

The accident shut down the plant, causing a severe energy shortfall in the region.

The plant's owner, RusHydro, has said it would take up to two years to repair the damage. Restoring the plant would cost at least 40 billion rubles (about $1.3 billion).