18 die in Russian coal mine blast

An explosion swept through a mine in the coal-rich Kuzbass region of Siberia today, killing at least 18 workers and leaving eight missing in the latest accident to occur in an industry plagued by dilapidated mines, ageing equipment and safety violations.

The blast occurred at the 20-year-old Yesaulskaya mine in the Kemerovo region, 1,850 miles east of Moscow, as miners were trying to prevent a fire from spreading.