Three people have died after the partial collapse of one of the processing plants of Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel, the company said on Saturday.
The processing plant was in the process of being maintained at the time of Saturday’s incident, according to Reuters.
The safety of production at the Norilsk Nickel sites has recently come under public scrutiny following a major fuel leak at its power plant near the Russian city of Norilsk and several minor accidents that occurred. in 2020, the center noted.
Norilsk has pledged to invest $ 1.4 billion over five years to build its industrial safety measures.
“This accident shows that, apparently, these efforts are not enough, and we, taking responsibility for what happened, tighten the requirements of industrial safety and the people who are responsible for it,” said Vladimir Potanin, Nornickel’s chief executive. and the largest shareholder, he told Reuters.
According to Nornickel, the plant continues to operate with partial restrictions. A regional committee has opened a criminal investigation into the incident, Reuters reported.
The company received a $ 2 billion fine earlier this month for damage to the fuel spill last year. A regional committee opened a criminal investigation into the incident.