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Search for miners as Russia mourns

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MOSCOW, Russia -- Hopes of saving three missing men faded on Wednesday as rescuers struggled to reach them in a Russian coal mine where 107 died in one of the the country's worst mine disasters.

On a day of mourning for the victims of the mine disaster and a nursing home fire that killed 62 people Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin ordered flags to fly at half staff across Russia. Television entertainment programs were also cancelled, Reuters reported. (Full story)

Rescuers at the Ulyanovskaya mine in Siberia's Kemerovo region said they had not given up hope of finding the three miners alive but chances were now slim, 48 hours after a massive gas explosion swept through the pit. Of the 200 people working in the pit at the time, 93 were rescued.

Rescue teams said water, gas and structural damage was hindering the search for the three missing men, while forensic pathologists said it was hard to identify the 107 recovered remains because their bodies were badly burned, Russian news agencies reported.

Putin demanded an investigation of the accident, according to the Kremlin. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said it sent a special investigative team to the disaster site.

The cause of the blast is believed to be either a buildup of methane gas or a discharge of coal dust, according to ministry spokesman Valery Korchagin

"Probably, it will become clear when the specialists have done their work," he said.

Mine disasters in the area are common occurrences. In 2005, 21 miners were killed in one incident. In 2004, another incident killed 45 workers.

The mine is in the city of Novokuznetsk, about 3,000 kilometers (1,850 miles) east of Moscow. It is in a major Russian industrial region, with some of the world's largest deposits of coal.

Russian coal mines are notoriously run down and outdated, but Ulyanovskaya was relatively modern. It opened in 2003 and officials said it was being fitted with a British-made hazard monitoring system when the blast took place.

At least 20 of the coal mine's local managers -- as well as a British citizen who was inspecting the monitoring system -- are believed to be among the dead.

The huge mine is operated by Yuzhkuzbassugol, an affiliate of Russian coal and steel company Evraz Group SA, which acquired a 50 percent stake in the company in 2005.

Quota systems

Some government officials have accused private companies of cutting corners on safety measures to save money.

Alexander Sergiev, chairman of the Independent Coal Miners' Union, said the Ulyanovskaya mine used new equipment, but he said accidents were always possible.

He said miners may have encountered methane while working and he called for new safety regulations to help prevent such accidents.

"It's necessary, in my view, to pass legislation forbidding underground coal mining without the required (ventilation) from the surface for methane," he told Ekho Moskvy radio, AP reported.

Sergiev also blamed quota systems that encourage miners to increase their output which could potentially lead to mistakes.

The families of the dead each will receive at least $25,000 in compensation, Kemerovo Gov. Aman Tuleyev was quoted by ITAR-Tass news agency as saying.

CNN's Igor Krotov in Atlanta and Matthew Chance in Moscow contributed to this report.

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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