Russia: Deputy PM Dvorkovich offers condolences to families of Vorkuta mine blast victims

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkadi Dvorkovich expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the Severnaya coal mine blast, while visiting Vorkuta on Sunday.
"It is a heavy catastrophe for us, for Russia, for our coal industry; and the government is already taking and preparing solutions to assist the families of the victims, to investigate the causes of the incident, together with law enforcement, in order to prevent and minimise the risk of recurrence of such tragedies," Dvorkovich stated, while confirming that "there is no hope that the 26 people who have been trapped in the mine for these [last] three days are still alive."
Four people were killed following an initial blast at the Severnaya coal mine on Thursday which caused a mine shaft to collapse. Others, including both miners and rescue workers, have since been killed in separate incidents, with Dvorkovich stating that the current death toll stands at 36. Rescue operations are ongoing, with 550 people and 80 pieces of equipment deployed at the site.