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The Moscow Times Issue 4213 News

RusHydro Says Finding Survivors Now Unlikely

19 August 2009

By Nikolaus von Twickel / The Moscow Times

As rescuers searched for survivors of the dam disaster in southern Siberiafor a second day Tuesday, hopes faded that any of the 64 missing workerswould be found alive.

At least 11 people were killed and 14 were injured Monday when apowerful flood of water burst into the main machine room of the giantSayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric plant, RusHydro, the plants operator,said in a statement.

The plant in the Khakassia republic, four time zones east of Moscow, is thecountrys biggest, with a 245-meter-high concrete dam holding a waterreservoir stretching over 621 square kilometers, according to RusHydrosweb site.

Alexander Toloshinov, a manager for RusHydro and a former director ofthe plant, said Tuesday that because of chilly water temperatures, survivorscould only be expected if they were lucky enough to be in an air bubble.

If a person is caught in such a bubble, there is a chance [of survival]. If people are in the water, which has atemperature of just 4 degrees Celsius, there is practically no chance, Toloshinov said, Interfax reported.

He also suggested that a technical fault in a turbine was to blame for the disaster. A turbine was destroyed,and indicators show that this was not caused by the water surge but by a broken turbine lid, Toloshinov tolda meeting with relatives of the missing workers in the village of Cheryomushki, where the plant is located.

However, Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said the reason for the accident had yet to beestablished. The basic reason was a water surge, and the reason for that is not clear yet, he told reporters atthe plant Tuesday.

Speaking at the same meeting, Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said a transformer explosion or repair works,two explanations circulating Monday, could be ruled out.

Shoigu also said there was no danger of a dam leak or break. We can say for sure that there is no danger forthe local population. There will be no flooding, he said.

Kommersant reported Tuesday that engineers had warned in 1998 that the dams foundation was weakbecause of misconstruction and there was a real danger that the giant concrete construction might collapse.

Shoigu said the Emergency Situations Ministry was sending another 1,000 employees to reinforce a 100-member rescue crew at the plant.

Ilya Naymushin / ReutersThe damaged machine room ofthe Sayano-Shushenskaya

plant Tuesday.

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