Seven Dead In Northern Russia Mine Blast

Most of the men underground at the time of the blast made it safely to the surface. (ITAR-TASS) June 26, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry says seven miners have been killed in an explosion at a coal mine in Russia's north.

The suspected methane blast hit the Komsomolskaya mine in Vorkuta, just north of the Arctic Circle.

The ministry said 277 people were underground at the time of the explosion, most of whom managed to get to safety.

But it said three miners were still missing and that four others were hospitalized.

Two separate blasts at Siberian coal mines in March and May killed nearly 150 people.