NOVOSIBIRSK, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - The bodies of 36 out of 40 dead miners have been brought to the surface of the Taizhina coal mine in the town of Osinniki, Kemerovo Region (a coal mining region in the south of Western Siberia). This is what officer of the regional department for civil defense and emergency situations Valery Korchagin said.
According to him, 27 bodies have been identified.
The rescuers are continuing to search for seven missing miners. Two large blockages have been found and work is underway to clear up the rubble, Korchagin said.
The rescuers are also carrying out a repeat investigation of the coal mine's places investigated earlier.
The accident at the Taizhina coal mine occurred on Saturday at 06:25 in the morning local time (02:55 Moscow time). It is believed that a methane explosion caused rock collapse at a depth of 500 meters.
The government commission established on instruction from Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov is investigating the reasons of the accident.
