Kemerovo region authorities confirm death of 46 miners, 6 rescuers in Listvyazhnaya mine

MOSCOW. Nov 26 (Interfax) - The authorities of the Kemerovo region have confirmed the death of 52 people as a result of Thursday's accident in the Listvyazhnaya mine.

"Thirty-five missing miners have been declared dead. The overall death toll stands at 52, including 46 miners and six rescuers," according to a report published on the Telegram channel of Kemerovo Region Governor Sergei Tsivilev.

Thirty-eight miners and 11 rescuers, one of whom sustained a head injury and the other ten suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, are still in hospitals, the report said.

"The accident is likely to have been caused by a methane-air mixture explosion. The commission will establish the exact cause," it said.

Three teams from a mine rescue unit have arrived at the Listvyazhnaya mine.

"They are isolating 257,000 cubic meters inside the mine that will naturally be filled with methane. Gas levels will grow to 20% within around three days, and explosion risks will decrease. After that, the headquarters will adopt a decision regarding further search efforts in the mine," the regional authorities said.

Over the next three days, rescuers will simultaneously continue inertisation efforts in the mine and will tackle the aftermath of the blaze by drilling a hole to extinguish possible spots of fire in the mine.