Russian coking coal miner Raspadskaya has stated that it has suspended all operations at its main mine after detecting unsafe levels of carbon monoxide at the site.
The toxic gas was first detected on May 6 in a "confined" area of the Raspadskaya mine - Russia's largest single underground mine - after which all workers were brought to the surface and further testing was conducted.
On Tuesday, May 14, the company decided to suspend all activity at the coal mine, which holds reserves of 451 million mt, until the atmosphere is declared safe.
The company, controlled by steelmaker Evraz, added that the suspension would not affect consumers of the mine's coal.