Seven miners injured in methane blast in western Siberia

Some 55 workers were underground at the time, and all were rescued. Four were close to the source of the blast and suffered burns.

Fortunately the blast did not trigger a ceiling collapse or fire, frequently the cause of deadly incidents in Russian mines.

Governor Aman Tuleyev demanded an investigation into the explosion, and a commission was formed to probe the causes. 

Tuleyev has also sent telegrams to the heads of other Kuzbass coal mines of Kuzbass calling for additional checks to be performed. 

The telegrams stressed that the special attention should be paid to methane concentration inside the running coal mines. 

Gramoteinskaya is a part of 'YuzhKuzbassUgol' which in turn owned by Evraz group, controlled by billionaire Roman Abramovich's.

On its board are close Abramovich associates Eugene Tenenbaum and Eugene Shvidler, along with Sir Michael Peat, once a Principal Private Secretary to heir to the British throne, Prince Charles. 

Two powerful methane blasts at the Raspadskaya mine near the west-Siberian town of Mezhdurechensk in May 2010 killed 91 people, including rescue workers. 

Only 80 bodies have been uncovered from the mine. Kemerovo is part of Russia's major coal-producing Kuzbass region.