Russia's state safety watchdog has partially halted work at 12 Russian mines after safety checks following a mine explosion that killed 108 people.
"As of today work has been stopped at 29 . . . coalfaces at 12 mines in the region," the head of an industry watchdog in the Kemerovo region was reported as as saying.
The mines where work had been stopped included three operated by Yuzhkuzbassugol, owner of the mine where last week's accident happened.
Last Monday's explosion at the Ulyanovskaya mine, also in the Kemerovo region, was the deadliest mining accident in Russia since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Two miners are still missing underground.
Industry insiders say mine workers routinely cut corners on safety to meet production quotas.