Eight people were killed and ten people were injured in the pickling line accident at the sheet-rolling shop of Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Magnitogorsk on November 28, 2006, reports the spokesperson for Rostechnadzor (Russia’s state environmental and technological safety watchdog) in Ural Federal District.

An ad hoc committee completed the investigation of the hows and whys of the tragedy on December 29, 2006 and found no violations as far as the performance of the pickling line was concerned. Prior to the roof failure, all the equipment had been operating properly, and no computer breakdowns were observed.

The roof is believed to have fallen down because the bearing structures of the building were deformed through exposure to high temperature. The temperature, in its turn, rose because of the fire that shook the ceiling and caused the principals to collapse. There fire-fighting facilities at the site were not ready to use, as the first fire hydrant had no water in it, one of the fire hoses had holes in it, so it was only possible to start delivering water when the proper hose was fixed onto the second fire hydrant. The workers also tried to put the fire out with the help of service water that was meant for filling the pickle baths; they put the hose on the service water tap and poured some on the heat source, but the water pressure was very low.

Last year, Rostechnadzor’s division in Magnitogorsk carried out 23 inspections of the company’s sheet-rolling shop and issued 23 orders regarding 231 violations that needed to be eliminated.