A state commission investigating the cause of the explosion, which left 39 miners dead in Russia’s Siberian region of Kemerovo, has ruled that the blast was caused by a spark from a damaged cable.

The latest victim, Eduard Lyakh, died on Sunday. His funeral will take place later this week.

The company which owns the two Siberian coal mines where methane explosions killed 149 people in the last three months is to have its licence withdrawn by Russia's industrial safety watchdog.

The Kemerovo Region Governor, Aman Tuleyev, called for a change in ownership or for stripping the company of its licence. Meanwhile, the owners of the mine announced they will sell their shares.

This is the second coalmine accident in the region this year, a methane blast at the nearby Ulyanovskaya mine killed more than 100 workers in March.