At least 30 people have died and 60 remain unaccounted for following two weekend explosions at one of Russia's largest coal mines.
The death toll from the methane blasts at the Raspadskaya mine, 3,000km east of Moscow, rose from 12 overnight as more bodies were found underground, according to Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu.
17 rescuers who were caught in the second of two explosions were found overnight, he said, adding that time was running out to rescue miners from two flooded areas of the mine.
'We have 48 hours,' he said.
Rescue teams re-entered the mine late yesterday after a build-up of methane halted the search for most of the day.
A criminal investigation has been opened into possible safety violations, the Prosecutor General's Office said.
The mine in the city of Mezhdurechensk had reserves of some 450m tonnes of coal and produced 8.9m tonnes in 2007, according to the Raspadskaya company.
