Krasnoyarsk, August 18, 2014
Representatives of the Sayanogorsk public chamber, the administration and staff members of the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Station (HPS), the Khakassia (an autonomous republic in south central Russia) state members as well as local residents gathered together on Sunday for Divine Liturgy in Cheremushki village to commemorate the 75 people killed 5 years ago in the power station accident.
Commemoration events began with a moment of silence at 08:15 (04:15 Moscow time) – the time when the accident occurred, at the hall of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPS, reported staff member of the HPS press service Elena Beregovykh to RIA-Novosti. “During the day the flags were at half-mast in memory of the victims. A centralized departure for the burial site – at the Uyskoye cemetery, is organized, and a Divine Liturgy will be served there. In addition to relatives and friends of the perished station workers, the republic’s state members and the Sayanogorsk administration will take part in the events,” the agency’s spokeswoman said. In memory of the victims, the central military orchestra of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation will perform on the square in front of the palace of culture. The tragedy of August 17 affected almost every family In Cheremushki.
According to resident of the village Alla Bulanovskaya, for them this is a special day of unity and remembrance of their beloved ones. “It was terrible, no one understood anything in the first minutes, then waiting hours dragged on… The main thing for us on that day is a Liturgy which will be celebrated at the chapel. If our state can somehow be expressed, then there is more light for us at this time,” said mother of accident victim Yuri Bulanovsky to RIA-Novosti. She has noted that the village residents are intently following the judicial proceedings regarding the case of the accident and are intending to stand up for their rights till the end.
In the morning of August 17, 2009, a serious accident occurred at the HPS. Due to destruction of the fastening elements a water flow tore off the second generating unit’s cover, and water poured into the powerhouse hall. The tragedy swept away the lives of 75 people, most of them were residents of the hydropower engineers’ village of Cheremushki.
All ten hydropower units of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPS were either damaged or completely destroyed. At the present time restoration of the HPS is in its closing stage, all the works are being carried out in accordance with the approved schedule. Seven new generating units with the total power of 4,48 gigawatt are working at the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPS. The Sayanogorsk city court of Khakassia in July 2013 began processing the criminal case regarding the HPS accident. Director of the branch of “RusHydro” - “The Sayano-Shushenskaya HPS of P.S. Neporozhny” public corporation Nikolai Nevolko, the station chief engineer Andrei Mitrofanov, his deputies Evgeny Shervarli and Gennady Nikitenko as well as staff members of the HPS’ equipment monitoring service Alexander Matvienko, Vladimir Beloborodov and Alexander Klyukach were made criminally responsible for security breach in the exploitation of a dangerous manufacturing entity. They are all faced with imprisonment for up to seven years. The case materials make 1,2 thousands of volumes.
