Miner ‘reported dead’ found alive a week after explosion trapped him underground
A miner believed to have died in an explosion has miraculously been rescued one week later.
Leonid Moiseev, 49, was among 190 miners trapped underground after two tremors collapsed a giant rock at the Raspadskaya coal mine in Russia’s remote Kemerovo region.
All but two were evacuated, with local reports then claiming the married stepfather had died.
But several days later, rescuers picked up a signal from the miner’s sensor.
They dug through 50 metres of collapsed rocks to find him alive. Thankfully, he was trapped in a chamber with a ventilation shaft, meaning he had air.
The other miner was found dead.
Leonid was conscious and able to talk to doctors after suffering a fractured hip and ankle.
Local mayor Vladimir Chernov posted the good news: ‘Alive! Tonight, rescuers reached the place where a driver of a drilling rig was located during the collapse.
‘The miner is injured, but alive. He was quickly brought to the surface and handed to doctors.
‘The collapse occurred on 5 July and all this time he was waiting for help. He did not give up. A real hero.’
His miner friend Ilya Chernomyrdin, 49, said: ‘He was in a ventilated corner, where air could enter.
‘The fact that he survived is a miracle. A real miracle.’
He added: ‘There were publications that two people had been killed in the mine.
‘But then I contacted Leonid’s relatives and other friends, and it turned out that there was no final confirmation.
‘And the search and rescue operation had not been completed.’
The mine is partly owned by ex-Chelsea tycoon Roman Abramovich, via his Evraz holding.
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