Eighteen die in methane blast at Russian coal mine (VIDEO)
Eighteen coal miners were killed at the Vorkutinskaya mine in the Komi region of Northern Russia Monday, prompting an investigation into mine safety by the Russian government, personally ordered by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Rescue workers had currently managed to bring 10 of the bodies to the surface, reported Reuters, while Putin has ordered his disasters minister to travel to the area to oversee the rescue effort.
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AFP wrote earlier that 259 miners had been working underground when the methane explosion occurred, with 23 in the shaft where the deadly explosion took place.
The families of the dead miners are set to recieve $66,000 in compensation, AFP added.
Unfortunately, this latest tragedy isn't the only deadly methane mining blast in recent Russian history: in 2010, 60 miners perished when methane blasts went off at the Raspadskaya mine in Siberia.
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