Three people dead after Arctic processing plant collapse
BY CAMERON JENKINS - 02/20/21 

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Three people are dead following the partial collapse of one of Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel's processing plants, the company said on Saturday.

The processing plant was undergoing maintenance at the time of Saturday's incident, according to Reuters.

The production security of Norilsk Nickel's locations has recently come under public scrutiny after a major fuel leak at its power plant located close to the Russian city of Norilsk and multiple smaller accidents that occurred in 2020, the outlet noted.


Norilsk has since pledged to invest $1.4 billion over five years into building up its industrial safety measures.

“This accident shows that apparently, these efforts are not enough, and we, accepting responsibility for what happened, will tighten requirements for industrial safety and for the people who are responsible for it,” Vladimir Potanin, Nornickel chief executive and the largest shareholder, told Reuters.

According to Nornickel, the plant still continues to operate with partial restrictions. A regional committee opened up a criminal investigation into the incident, Reuters reported.

The company was fined $2 billion earlier this month for damage caused in the fuel spill last year. A regional committee opened up a criminal investigation into the incident.