Moscow, 15 November 1996 (RFE/RL) - Six people in Russia's Far East were killed today when an explosion went off in a mine. Interfax news agency quotes the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations as saying the explosion happened early this morning at the Kadimchanskaya mine in Russia's region of Magadan.
A ministry spokesman told Reuters news agency that the cause of the blast was not known, but he said one possibility being considered was that methane gas had ignited. The ministry said the blast occured during a shift change.
The spokesman said the bodies of the victims were brought to the surface and the death toll was not expected to rise. he said there were no reports that anyone else had been hurt in the explosion