Death toll in Russian coal mine blasts rises to 30, with 60 still trapped underground

Death toll in Russian mine blasts hits 30

MEZHDURECHENSK, Russia — The death toll from two explosions in Russia’s largest underground coal mine rose to 30 on Monday, with about 60 people still trapped, the government official heading the rescue operation said.

Emergency Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the news at a briefing after rescue workers were able to go down into parts of the Siberian mine hit by two blasts over the weekend.

High levels of methane gas have raised fears of further explosions and hindered rescue efforts. Shoigu said a further danger is now posed by rising water levels in the deep mine, and rescuers have a maximum of 48 hours to reach 13 people in two locations that are being flooded.

Most of the 18 dead found early Monday were rescue workers who had entered the mine after the first blast, Shoigu said. The second more powerful blast destroyed the main air shaft and a five-story building over the mine.

The first blast, believed to have been caused by methane, hit the Raspadskaya mine just before midnight Saturday and the second about 3½ hours later. There were 359 workers below ground at the time of the first explosion, the Emergency Ministry said. A total of 58 people were injured.

Most managed to get out, but after the second explosion, 64 miners and 19 rescue workers were trapped underground and all communication with them was lost, Shoigu said Sunday.

The mine is 500 meters (1,650 feet) deep and has 370 kilometers (220 miles) of underground tunnels.

More than 500 emergency workers from around the country raced throughout the day Sunday to restore ventilation to the mine and rebuild mine shafts so the search for those trapped could resume. The first rescue teams entered the mine early Monday.

Shoigu said risks of further explosions remained but were not high.

The Raspadskaya mine is in Kemerovo, a coal mining region in western Siberia located about 3,000 kilometers (2,000 miles) east of Moscow.

There was no immediate information on what set off the blast. Mine explosions and other industrial accidents are common in Russia and other former Soviet republics, and are often blamed on inadequate implementation of safety precautions by companies or by workers themselves.

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Associated Press writer Lynn Berry in Moscow contributed to this report.