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Blast rips through Russian mine Blast rips through Russian mine
(about 1 hour later)
An explosion has ripped through a coal mine in Siberia where some 180 people were said to be working, a Russian emergency ministry official has said. A gas blast has ripped through a coal mine in Siberia where 168 people were said to be working, Russian emergency ministry officials say.
The underground blast occurred at the Ulyanovskaya mine in the Kemerovo region, the official said. They said 21 miners - at least three of them injured - had been rescued after methane exploded at the Ulyanovskaya mine in the Kemerovo region.
The mine is currently being evacuated. It is not clear what caused the blast, or how many casualties there are. It is not immediately clear if the others are trapped underground.
Russia's coal mines are notoriously unsafe. A methane blast at a Kemerovo coal mine killed 21 miners in 2005.Russia's coal mines are notoriously unsafe. A methane blast at a Kemerovo coal mine killed 21 miners in 2005.
The blast at the Ulyanovskaya mine occurred at about 1030 Moscow time (0730 GMT), Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reported. The blast at the Ulyanovskaya mine happened at about 1030 Moscow time (0730 GMT).
It said regional officials believed it was a methane explosion. "It was a methane gas explosion," a spokeswoman at Russia's emergency ministry told the AFP news agency.
"The latest information is that there were 168 miners inside at the time of the blast. Twenty-one have been pulled out," she said.
Earlier reports said there were 180 miners in the mine at the time of the blast.
The rescue operation is continuing.
The mine is located in Novokuznetsk, about 3,000km (1,850 miles) east of the capital Moscow.The mine is located in Novokuznetsk, about 3,000km (1,850 miles) east of the capital Moscow.
It was opened in 2002 and had modern equipment, regional officials said.
Russia's coal mines are largely unprofitable and many have not invested in new safety equipment since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.Russia's coal mines are largely unprofitable and many have not invested in new safety equipment since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.