Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday said 311 kilometers (193 miles) of tunnels need to be searched in order to find 58 missing people after a mine explosion that left at least 32 dead.
More than 70 people were also injured after two explosions hit the mine, near the town of Mezhdurechensk in the Kemerovo Region, in the space of four hours late on Saturday and early on Sunday.
"Work is continuing in the furthest areas. We need to search 311 kilometers of tunnels where people may be located," Shoigu said.
He said that there are plenty of rescuers available to carry out the search and others had just recently arrived.
"Rescue work is continuing, but unfortunately the work is becoming more difficult. There is less and less hope of finding anyone alive in further searches," Shoigu told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier on Monday during a video linkup with the president's Situation Room with key ministers.
Shoigu said the first rescue group had already made their way 1.5 kilometers into the mine and were hanging oxygen tanks along the way because one tank was insufficient to reach the ends of the tunnels. He added that rescuers only had 36-48 hours to find survivors.
He also added that rescuers were unable to move along the main shaft because the elevator and shaft itself were destroyed, but were moving along shafts to the left and right of the main one.
"We are still analyzing [methane] gas levels and sending rescuers where we can," he said.
Shoigu said that 32 people have so far been confirmed dead, including 19 rescuers, though he said he would not like "to separate one group from the other."
MEZHDURECHENSK, May 10 (RIA Novosti)
