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Alsharq Tribune-AFP
Four miners' bodies were recovered at the Kadykchansky open-pit coal mine in Russia's Magadan Oblast following Thursday's collapse, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said Sunday.
Reporting on Sunday's search and rescue operations in the Susumansky urban district, the ministry said in a statement that "there could be up to eight people trapped under the rubble," adding that rescue work is continuing around the clock.
Magadan Oblast Governor Sergey Nosov said four foreign nationals were trapped under the rubble, without specifying their nationalities.
According to preliminary information from Alexander Nesterovich, general director of the coal mine, the collapse was caused by a mudslide.
Experts said the primary challenge for builders and miners in the region is the natural conditions. With most of the area situated in a permafrost zone, any thawing would dramatically reduce the strength of rock, increasing the risks of subsidence, deformation and landslides.
