The death toll from a mine explosion in Kemerovo region of Russia's southern Siberia early Wednesday morning has risen to 23, as two others' fate is still unknown, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday night.

Five coalminers, who were at the time of the explosion, survived. Four of them have been hospitalized, the report said.

According to an Emergencies Ministry official, the rescue operation has been complicated by methane flare-ups, but rescuers has not given up the efforts to find survivors.

On Tuesday, an ignition was registered in a ventilation shaft, and 17 rescuers and 13 miners were installing bulkheads to put it out when the blast occurred at about 8:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on Wednesday.

There were 132 people under the ground at the time of the explosion. But only 30 of them were in the ventilation shaft. Work at the mine was suspended.

The bodies of 14 dead miners have been evacuated to the surface, ten bodies of them have been identified, Kemerovo region Deputy Governor Anatoly Dyupin said.

The Kemerovo region's Governor Aman Tuleyev declared Feb. 11 a day of mourning for the victims.

Tuleyev also announced the victims' families will each receive from 700,000 to 800,000 rubles (25,000 to 28,570 US dollars) in compensation.

The Yesaulskaya mine is an 20-year-old advanced enterprise. Last year, it mined five million tons of coal, and the same amount is expected this year. Its coal reserves are believed to last 30 more years, the Interfax said.
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2005)