90 Feared Dead in Russian Mining Disaster

MOSCOW, May 10, 2010 — -- The death toll from twin explosions in a Siberian mine could go up to 90, Russia's emergencies minister told President Dmitry Medvedev today. The number of dead has risen to at least 32 with almost 60 miners still trapped underground.

"The rescue work is continuing, but unfortunately the work is becoming more complicated and there is less hope that we will find anyone alive," Sergei Shoigu told Medvedev via videoconference, according to news agency Interfax.

More than half of the dead so far are rescuers sent into the mine after an initial blast late Saturday night in Russia's biggest coal mine. Four hours later a second, more powerful, methane explosion rocked the mine killing all 19 of the initial responders, according to Russian news reports citing emergency officials.

The sprawling Raspadskaya mine in western Siberia has 220 miles of tunnels and is 1,600 feet deep. The exact locations of those still underground are not known, and rescuers have only made their way into a tiny fraction of the tunnels.

Of immediate concern are 13 men believed to be trapped in two deep pockets in the mine where water is rising and the drainage system has been damaged. Shoigu said today that rescue teams have 36 to 48 hours to get to the men.

"It is unrealistic in these two locations to reinstall the drainage system in a short period of time and to try to do this would be a waste of time," Shoigu told reporters, according to the Interfax news agency.

The mine's ventilation system has been restored but officials will not turn it on completely for fear of another methane blast if too much air is pumped down into the mine.