According to him, at the present time the firefighters continue to pour fire-extinguishing foam on the smoldering coal in the mine. Because of the smoke in the mine, the state commission for investigating the causes of the explosion and the fire cannot start its work directly in the place of the incident.
According to preliminary data, the methane explosion and the consequent fire were caused by the suddenly switched off ventilation because of the malfunctioned electric equipment. But the final conclusions will be drawn by the state commission.
The explosion in the mine last Saturday killed five miners. Sixteen miners were injured: burns and poisoning with combustion products. Four of them are still in a grave condition.
In connection with the incident a criminal case has been launched by the Prosecutor's Office of the Kemerovo Region.
