Russia mining accident, 4 killed, 26 missing

                                                                                       (C)AP

Twenty six miners were missing and four confirmed dead after an accident on Thursday at a coal mine above the Arctic circle owned by a subsidiary of Severstal , Russian prosecutors said on Friday.  Announcing the opening of a criminal investigation into a possible breach of safety regulations at the Severnaya mine in Vorkuta, Russia's Investigative Committee said it had dispatched investigators and forensic experts from Moscow to the mine. The Vorkutaugol mining company, which runs the mine, said parts of the facility had collapsed after a sudden leak of methane gas triggered two blasts, the TASS news agency reported. President Vladimir Putin has ordered a special government commission to be set up to look into what happened, his spokesman told reporters on Friday.
A total of 110 people were in the mine at the time of the accident, 80 of whom have since been brought to the surface. But 26 are still missing and four confirmed dead. A fire was still raging underground where the missing 26 miners may be trapped, TASS quoted a Vorkutaugol spokeswoman as saying.