Siberian Gas Explosion Kills at Least 71 Miners

At least 71 miners died in a methane gas explosion in a Siberian coal mine yesterday, the latest in a series of such deadly accidents in Russia.

About 200 people were working underground when the explosion ripped through the Ulyanovskaya mine near Novokuznetsk in Kemerovo region, site of some of the world's largest coal reserves.

By nightfall 71 miners were confirmed dead and 75 survivors had been brought to the surface, while the fate of the rest underground remained uncertain. The first shift of the day was just coming to an end when the blast took place.

President Vladimir Putin dispatched his emergencies minister, Sergei Shoigu, to the region where 14 rescue brigades gathered from different Russian regions.

A spokesman for Yuzhkuzbassugol, the company operating the mine, said rescue workers were in contact with surviving miners underground but their efforts were being hampered by thick smoke and the collapse of roofing in the shaft.

"Until the moment of the explosion everything was fine, then there was a sudden rise in the quantity of methane which led to an explosion," he said. Asked how it could have happened, he replied: "There are sometimes underground pockets in which gas builds up."

Prosecutors at the scene opened a criminal investigation into possible violation of safety rules.

Methane gas explosions and other accidents are common in Russian mines, claiming 111 lives in Kemerovo mines alone in the last five years, excluding today's accident.

The Ulyanovskaya mine, which produces 3m tonnes of coal a year, came into operation on October 7 2002, Mr Putin's 50th birthday. Officials boasted then that it was equipped with the latest technology. At the time Kemerovo governor Aman Tuleev wrote to the president dedicating the opening of the mine to him.

Mr Tuleev was today at the scene of the accident heading the rescue operation, which he said would continue throughout the night. "The main task now is to save as many people as possible," he told reporters.