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CNN Live Saturday

Russian Family Finds Way to Get By

Aired November 08, 2003 - 18:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, life in a Russian mining town can be difficult, at best. And for some families, survival means taking advantage of a crumbling system. And scavenging is the only way they can get by.
Ryan Chilcote has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Valeriy Raymond (ph) has a cold stove to stoke, and a wife, two daughters and a son to feed. So when his mine closed because it was too dangerous and not profitable, and he couldn't find another job, he went underground. He now sneaks back into the abandoned mine, scavenging any lumps of coal he can find. Two weeks ago, he started taking his 14-year-old son.

"What choice do I have? He's got to help. I can't feed the entire family on my own."

For every sack of coal Valeriy and Sergei bring to the surface, they make the equivalent of $2. For much of the summer, it's too hot and too hard to breathe down here. But come fall, they can make about $200 a month. Valeriy knows the logs used to fortify the walls are rotting. The tunnels could collapse at any moment.

(on camera): We've got about 300 more meters to the surface, and I'm completely exhausted. You can imagine how Valeriy and his son, Sergei, feel.

(voice-over): This, they say, is still better than working in the safer, legal mines, where miners haven't been paid in eight months. "I've got clients," he says. "They order the coal and then pick it up."

Today's goal: three trips to the surface for just $6. It takes them a bit more than an hour to lug the coal home. Every day, Valeriy leaves three buckets for himself and sells the rest. In a mining town of almost complete unemployment, he considers himself a lucky man. Until, of course, the ground water that's gradually flooding Raymond's (ph) mine closes it for good.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Novoshakhtinsk, Russia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 8, 2003 - 18:42   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, life in a Russian mining town can be difficult, at best. And for some families, survival means taking advantage of a crumbling system. And scavenging is the only way they can get by.
Ryan Chilcote has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Valeriy Raymond (ph) has a cold stove to stoke, and a wife, two daughters and a son to feed. So when his mine closed because it was too dangerous and not profitable, and he couldn't find another job, he went underground. He now sneaks back into the abandoned mine, scavenging any lumps of coal he can find. Two weeks ago, he started taking his 14-year-old son.

"What choice do I have? He's got to help. I can't feed the entire family on my own."

For every sack of coal Valeriy and Sergei bring to the surface, they make the equivalent of $2. For much of the summer, it's too hot and too hard to breathe down here. But come fall, they can make about $200 a month. Valeriy knows the logs used to fortify the walls are rotting. The tunnels could collapse at any moment.

(on camera): We've got about 300 more meters to the surface, and I'm completely exhausted. You can imagine how Valeriy and his son, Sergei, feel.

(voice-over): This, they say, is still better than working in the safer, legal mines, where miners haven't been paid in eight months. "I've got clients," he says. "They order the coal and then pick it up."

Today's goal: three trips to the surface for just $6. It takes them a bit more than an hour to lug the coal home. Every day, Valeriy leaves three buckets for himself and sells the rest. In a mining town of almost complete unemployment, he considers himself a lucky man. Until, of course, the ground water that's gradually flooding Raymond's (ph) mine closes it for good.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Novoshakhtinsk, Russia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com