At least 30 people died and the fate of another 60 remained unknown following two methane blasts which occurred in the space of four hours late on Saturday and early on Sunday at Russia's largest coal mine Raspadskaya, located near the town of Mezhdurechensk in the Kemerovo region, Russia's emergencies minister, Sergei Shoigu, has said.
Mr. Shoigu said further danger is now posed by rising water levels in the deep mine, and rescuers have a maximum of 48 hours to save two groups of people, including some of their colleagues who went in after the initial blast, trapped underground at two separate points in the mine.
Most of the 17 dead found early Monday were rescue workers who had entered the mine after the first blast, Mr. Shoigu said. The second more powerful blast destroyed the main air shaft and a five-storey building over the mine, Associated Press reported.
A criminal investigation has been opened into possible safety violations.
Raspadskaya mine is a part of Raspadskaya Coal Company, a subsidiary of domestic steelmaker Evraz Group, and has 451 million mt of coal reserves. The mine is 500 meters (1,650 feet) deep and has 370 kilometers (220 miles) of underground tunnels.