Explosion Kills 12 In Arctic Russian Mine

Years of neglect after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union have made Russia`s mines among the most dangerous in the world.

At least 12 people died in an overnight blast at a Soviet-era mine in Arctic Russia that extracts raw materials for fertiliser production, the Emergencies Ministry said on Friday.

Years of neglect after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union have made Russia's mines, which employ a quarter of a million people, among the most dangerous in the world.

"At the moment we know that 12 people died. Five were injured and they are in hospital," said Irina Gretskaya, spokeswoman for the ministry in the Arctic city of Murmansk.

"There were 18 people in the mine when the accident happened, so we do not know about one miner. The reasons are still being investigated."

The mine is operated by a company called Apatit, a major Russian producer of the phosphate mineral apatite used in making fertiliser. Apatit is part of the PhosAgro fertiliser group.

Russia's mining safety watchdog, Rostekhnadzor, said it had launched an investigation into the blast at the Rasvumchorrsky mine. A recovery operation to retrieve bodies is under way.

Last year 110 people died in a blast in a Siberian coal mine -- Russia's worst mining accident in recent years.