Two killed in Russian mine blast

Two workers were killed and four others injured when a methane explosion tore through Russia’s largest underground coal mine today, a regional emergency services official said.

Of the 312 miners who were below ground at the time of the blast, 142 remained about three hours after the explosion and rescue workers were labouring to extract them, said Valery Korchagin, a spokesman for the Emergencies Ministry in the west Siberian region of Kemerovo.