Troops join rescue operation on Sakhalin Railway.

3/1 Tass 22

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, January 3 (Itar-Tass) - As many as 140 troops
joined the rescue operation on the Sakhalin Railway, Itar-Tass learn on
Sunday at the press service of the insular branch of the Russian Railways
Company.
Special snow-cleaning train No. 1 was released from under the
avalanche. Damaged rail tracks interfere with putting upright sections of
the diesel locomotive and the snowplough, overturned by the avalanche. It
will take several hours to restore them.
Snow-cleaning machinery, buried by the avalanche, was also released
from snow. A 300-metre section of the railway still remains under
snowdrifts, which are three metres high.
The press service of the Sakhalin branch of the Russian Ministry for
Emergencies confirmed that the body of one of two railwaymen, buried by an
avalanche, was found on Sunday during the repair and rescue work. The
search for the second railwayman continues.
The rail traffic on the Sakhalin Railway has been suspended. Rescuers
of the Sakhalin search and rescue detachment and workers of the Sakhalin
Railway are working at the place of the incident.
The diesel loco and the snowplough were dashed from rail tracks by an
avalanche on Thursday morning. There were no casualties at that time. A
lengthy section of the railway, linking the north and the south of the
island, turned to be under a three-metre high snowdrift. Two special
trains were dispatched from various stations to overcome aftermaths of
the incident.
However, a new avalanche swooped down on railwaymen during clearing
work on the New Year night. Three people were buried in snow; one of them
was found live several hours later.
-0-bur/usn