Authorities in Russia have arrested several people responsible for safety at a Siberian coal mine after an explosion on Thursday left 51 dead, making it Russia's worst mining disaster in over a decade.
On top of the enormous death toll, dozens of other miners were hospitalized after the accident in the western Siberian town of Belovo, mostly after inhaling poisonous gas. Those killed included five rescue workers who entered the mine in search of survivors among the rubble.
The director of the Listvyazhnaya coal mine, his deputy, and two senior employees from the state supervisory authority were remanded in custody on Saturday, according to a court in nearby Kemerovo. They are accused of violating safety regulations and causing the deaths of miners and first responders.
The Civil Defence Ministry said 239 miners were rescued from the shaft.
Emergency workers have resumed efforts to recover the bodies of those who died in the accident after a temporary interruption due to the risk of another explosion, the governor of Kemerovo, Sergei Tsivilyov said on Telegram on Saturday. "We have to get everyone out," he said.
Methane levels had been rising in the shaft since mid-June, creating an explosive mixture, according to investigators.
Methane, a highly flammable gas, is released during mining operations and can build up in the shafts and drift underground if a mine is not properly ventilated.
