According to local media sources, on Tuesday, July 5, an earthquake in the region has caused a cave-in at the Raspadskaya-Koksovaya mine which belongs to the Raspadskaya Coal Company, a part of Russian mining and steel producing company Evraz Group. "In the northwest, 5 km from Mezhdurechensk, a seismic event occurred. Consequently, a rock collapsed at the Raspadskaya-Koksovaya mine. Currently, workers are being brought to the surface. A team of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters is working at the site," the source stated. The press service of the Ministry has reported that 189 people were in the mine at the time of the accident.
The impact on production operations and the company's position in the export markets remains to be seen. Before the accident, the workable prices for coking coal produced by the Raspadskaya Coal Company were evaluated at $200/mt CFR, compared to $220-240/mt CFR targeted by a supplier a month ago.
According to the official statement of Raspadskaya Coal Company, since the beginning of the current year the total coal output mined at Raspadskaya mine has totalled two million mt.