A day of mourning is being observed in Russia's Kemerovo Region for the victims of last weekend's coalmine disaster in which at least 66 people died.
Concerts and sporting events scheduled for Saturday have been postponed across the region, and entertainment programs have been dropped from TV and radio schedules.
Two explosions hit the Raspadaskaya coal mine near Mezhdurechensk in western Siberia on the night of May 8-9. The second, more powerful blast killed a number of rescuers and methane gas levels forced the suspension of search operations on Thursday with 24 people still missing underground.
The mine's owners said 12 more victims were due to be buried on Saturday.
Kemerovo Region Governor Aman Tuleyev took part in official ceremonies in Mezhdurechensk in the heart of Russia's coal-rich Kuzbass, laying a wreath at the city's monument to its miners.
In a television address, Tuleyev vowed that the regional authorities would fully honor their obligations to the families of the victims, including by supporting children up to 23 years old who go to university.
Compensation payments and other support to the bereaved families will be overseen by the miners' union and the ruling United Russia party.
Tuleyev also assured Raspadskaya miners they would not lose out while the mine was closed.
"All the workers at the Raspadskaya mine will receive an average monthly salary for as long as it takes to restore the mine," he said on Mezhdurechensk television.
He vowed that the investigation into the accident would continue until the causes were known.
"We must know the reasons so that this does not happen again," the governor said.
Safety regulations are often poorly enforced in Russia and fatal accidents, particularly involving fires, are all too common.
Media reports said the Raspadskaya mine, Russia's largest underground coalmine, was among the most technologically advanced in the world, with a reported $1 billion invested in equipment over the past five years.
KEMEROVO, May 15 (RIA Novosti)
