Chief Engineer Accused in Six Deaths After Pumping Station Explosion

The investigation states that at sewage pumping station No. 4 in Volgograd, emergency ventilation and gas detectors were absent for years. Toxic and explosive gases, including hydrogen sulfide and methane, constantly accumulated in the premises, with concentrations exceeding permissible limits. Employee complaints about the lethal danger were ignored for nearly four years, from July 2020 to July 2024. According to the prosecution, chief engineer Dmitry Lebedev created an appearance of efficient work to minimize costs for the company «Koncessii Vodosnabzheniya» (Water Supply Concessions) and to fulfill the terms of a concession agreement with the Volgograd administration.

Prosecutor Darya Lebedeva stated that Dmitry Lebedev«s subordinates repeatedly reported on the dangerous conditions at the pumping station. The ventilation system at the station was malfunctioning, and there was no emergency alarm or ventilation. Despite this, Lebedev did not ensure the safety of the workers. »He created an appearance of efficiency in his work to achieve the necessary wastewater disposal indicators with minimal costs,« the prosecutor quoted.

On July 5, 2024, workshop foreman Mikhail Kurakin died at the station. That day, subordinates refused to descend into the receiving compartment due to gas contamination. Kurakin conducted the inspection himself and lost consciousness from hydrogen sulfide poisoning. Medics pronounced him dead. The prosecution believes that Lebedev«s inaction led to this tragedy.

After Kurakin«s death, Lebedev ordered the installation of an exhaust fan, but, according to the investigation, this was done to conceal criminal negligence. The work was assigned to employees without proper permits, in conditions of increased gas contamination.

The next day, July 6, 2024, during the installation of the fan, a two-stage volumetric explosion of a gas-air mixture occurred. Five workers were killed: shift supervisor Yury Zuev, welder Vladimir Kuznetsov, mechanics Oleg Korolchenko, Mikhail Khokhlov, and Alexander Shestopalov. Another mechanic, Zavyalov, avoided death because the day before he felt unwell after attempting to help Kurakin.

The examination established that the explosion occurred due to the accumulation of methane and hydrogen sulfide, which form naturally in sewage waters. The ignition source was sparks from an angle grinder during metal cutting.

The forensic medical examination indicated that the technical causes of the deaths were non-functional ventilation, the absence of gas analyzers and emergency alarms. The organizational cause was named as the inaction of Dmitry Lebedev, who, as the chief engineer, was responsible for the station«s safety.

Lebedev insisted that the tragedy was caused by discharges of petroleum products into the sewer. However, the prosecution rejects this version. The prosecutor stated that traces of hydrogen sulfide and hexane, as well as an «amorphous black mass,» were found in the wastewater, but no connection between this and the explosion has been established. In the prosecution«s opinion, hydrogen sulfide was sufficient for Kurakin»s poisoning, and methane predominated in the explosion, both gases form naturally.

Darya Lebedeva emphasized that Lebedev had the authority to halt the station«s operation but did not do so. »He allowed the station to operate in conditions of real danger to the life and health of employees since 2020,« the prosecutor stated. The prosecution believes the evidence is sufficient for a guilty verdict.