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Eight still missing at Russian hydro-power plant, say officials
Aug 22, 2009, 14:40 GMT
Moscow - Recovery work continued Saturday at the Siberian hydro-electric power station which exploded early in the week, with officials saying eight persons were still missing.
As of Saturday, 67 bodies had been recovered, the Itar-Tass agency cited civil defence officials as saying while describing the grisly work facing the workers.
'Unfortunately we are only finding body parts. We want to be able to identify everyone,' said Civil Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday visited the Sayano-Shushenskaya power station, thanking rescue crews for their work and promising government assistance to the families of the victims. He also spoke to regional officials and technicians about supplying power to the region in the wake of the accident.
On Saturday, Putin directed the power station's management to pay one million roubles (30,000 dollars) to the families of those killed and 100,000 roubles to those who were injured in the accident. The families are demanding five times the amount which Putin ordered.
The Sayano-Shushenskaya power station had a capacity of 6,700 megawatts. The plant, which opened in 1978, has a dam which is 242 metres high and more than a kilometre wide.
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