Chelyabinsk, Russia – March 11, 2010 – Mechel OAO (NYSE: MTL) announces gas flash at its Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant (CMP) subsidiary.

On March, 11 at 9.30 a.m. local time (7.30 a.m. Moscow time) in the coke shop #2 of Mechel-Coke OOO planned steam-cleaning operations for a gas pipe line of recycling coke gas were implemented. At 10.20 a.m. in the tunnel of the coke oven battery #8 machine coke gas exhausted and flashed. The gas pipe line was destroyed and coke gas burning followed. Barrier and wall structures of the tunnel are also damaged. The accident caused death of one tunnel-servicing woman of the coke shop #2 and another tunnel-servicing woman was injured and brought to hospital.

As of 14.00 p.m. local time emergency works are implemented in accordance with operational plan. Damaged coke oven battery operations are stopped.

Repair works are planned to take about two weeks. Daily furnace-size coke output of the plant will be decreased by approximately 900 tonnes. New production programme is being prepared to minimize negative effects of the accident to CMP’s and Mechel-Coke OOO’s operations. Demand for coke of CMP’s blast furnace production shop will be fully supplied.

A special commission is made to investigate causes and after-effects of the accident.