The blast , thought to have been caused by methane, occurred about 550 yards underground at the Yubileynaya mine in the Kemerovo region, a bleak region of heavy industry and mines about 1,900 miles east of Moscow.
The mine is 25 miles from another mine, operated by the same company, where 110 miners died as a result of a methane explosion March 19.
An investigation of the first explosion found that an early warning system designed to alert miners to the buildup of methane was switched off at the time.
Union officials charge that a bonus system that links miners' pay to their output leads workers to take unnecessary risks and keep working in hazardous conditions.
Both mines are operated by Yuzhkuzbassugol, a company that is owned 50 percent by its management and 50 percent by steelmaker Evraz Group. State officials said the company, which was planning a public share offering, is now at risk of losing its license.
Yuzhkuzbassugol changed its pay structure after the March blast, but the system of bonuses, although reduced, continues.
Safety regulators said in a statement yesterday that they twice tried to shutter the Yubileynaya mine this year because of safety violations but failed in the courts.
Company officials declined to comment.
Friday, May 25, 2007
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