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Title: Gas Explosion Kills 12 Rescuers in Russian Mine

Story Filed: Wednesday, March 22, 2000 7:06 AM EST

MOSCOW (March 22) XINHUA - Twelve firefighters died late Tuesday in a gas explosion at a coal mine in Russia's Siberian region of Kemerovo, the Itar-Tass news agency reported Wednesday.

The blast occurred when the firefighters were trying to contain a fire underground. They had earlier rescued 460 miners.

Authorities blamed operational errors at the ventilation unit of a gas suction well for the tragedy, Tass said, citing a preliminary report.

Copyright ) 2000, Xinhua News Agency, all rights reserved.

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), March 22, 2000