Raspadskaya mine explosion

The initial explosion was followed by a second approximately four hours later which collapsed the mine's ventilation shaft and trapped several rescue workers.

[5] Rescue work resumed late on May 9 after methane levels had dropped below safety limits and, at the peak of the operation, 560 people were involved with aid being sent from other parts of Russia.

[citation needed] Medvedev ordered Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to head a government commission dealing with the aftermath of the incident.

[citation needed] The mine company agreed to pay 1 million Russian rubles in compensation (approximately US$ 33,000) to the families of the dead with additional assistance from the state.

[citation needed] A criminal investigation was launched into the incident by Russian authorities and post-mortem examinations were carried out on the bodies of the miners to establish a precise cause of death.

[7] On 16 May a new movement "The Union of Kuznetsk Basin Residents" issued an appeal to the President, the people of Russia and to those who live in the region.

The authors made five demands: release the detained in the town of Mezhdurechensk, increase miners' minimum salaries threefold, stop persecution of the independent trade union, withdraw the police forces brought from other regions, and introduce monthly meetings of the town administration with the residents.