The death toll from a methane gas explosion in Russia's Komi Republic has risen to eight, according to local emergency services. Rescue workers continue their search for two miners still trapped in the shaft.
Friday has been set aside as a day of mourning for those who died. 277 workers were working underground when the blast shook the Komsomolskaya coal mine in the city of Vorkuta on Monday. 264 people were safely led to the surface. One miner was seriously injured, and two others suffered minor injuries. The local prosecutor's office has launched a criminal investigation into a breach of safety regulations at the mine.