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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Deadly Russia power plant blast | Deadly Russia power plant blast |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| At least 54 people are missing after an explosion at Russia's largest hydro-electric power station killed eight workers, investigators say. | At least 54 people are missing after an explosion at Russia's largest hydro-electric power station killed eight workers, investigators say. |
| The accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya power station in Siberia happened when an oil-filled transformer exploded in a turbine hall, they added. | The accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya power station in Siberia happened when an oil-filled transformer exploded in a turbine hall, they added. |
| This damaged the wall and ceiling of the turbine hall which then flooded. | This damaged the wall and ceiling of the turbine hall which then flooded. |
| At least 10 other workers were injured and production at the plant has been halted as an investigation continues. | At least 10 other workers were injured and production at the plant has been halted as an investigation continues. |
| "The explosion ruined a wall and ceiling of the machine room housing turbines," Vladimir Markin, spokesman for the special commission investigating the incident, was quoted as telling Russia's Itar-Tass news agency. | "The explosion ruined a wall and ceiling of the machine room housing turbines," Vladimir Markin, spokesman for the special commission investigating the incident, was quoted as telling Russia's Itar-Tass news agency. |
| Although there were reports of a large oil slick moving down the Yenisei river on which the power station sits, officials said towns downstream of the plant were not at risk. | |
| Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu and Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko to fly to the scene and take personal control of the crisis, the Kremlin said. | |
| Lengthy repairs | Lengthy repairs |
| Rescue divers had managed to pull one person from a room underneath the plant's main turbine hall which flooded after an apparent cave-in, officials were quoted as saying. | |
| Footage from the Sayano-Shushenskaya power station | |
| But 12 hours after the blast, the fate of scores of missing workers was still unknown. | |
| "At the moment we cannot determine whether these people were down there or managed to get out somewhere," regional official Andrei Klyuyev told Echo of Moscow radio station. | |
| "But we know that there were that many people on this shift." | |
| The accident forced the shutdown of all 10 of the station's power units and caused major power disruption in Siberia. | |
| Russia's emergencies ministry said it would take several years to restore pipes ruptured in the incident. | Russia's emergencies ministry said it would take several years to restore pipes ruptured in the incident. |
| "I believe that it will take years not months to repair three of the 10 units," Mr Shoigu was quoted as saying by Itar-Tass. | |
| Major supplier | |
| Major aluminium plants nearby were forced to switch to alternative sources of electricity after the accident. | Major aluminium plants nearby were forced to switch to alternative sources of electricity after the accident. |
| Monday morning's blast prompted shares of the plant's owner - Russian hydroelectric power giant RusHydro - to drop by more than 10%, leading to a suspension of trading on the London Stock Exchange. | |
| The Sayano-Shushenskaya power station is located in the Siberian region of Khakassia, some 1,875 miles (3,000 km) east of Moscow, and owned by RusHydro, the hydroelectric power giant. | The Sayano-Shushenskaya power station is located in the Siberian region of Khakassia, some 1,875 miles (3,000 km) east of Moscow, and owned by RusHydro, the hydroelectric power giant. |
| Opened in 1978, the station provides a quarter of RusHydro output and is a major supplier of power to at least two smelters owned by United Company RUSAL, the world's largest aluminium producer. | |
| UC RUSAL said all its plants were operating as normal with alternative power supplies. |