Two people were killed and one injured by falling rocks at a coal mine in southwest Siberia`s Kemerovo Region, a local emergencies spokesman said.

Nine miners were carrying out hydraulic mining 120 meters below ground in the Tyrganskaya mine when the disaster occurred on Tuesday morning. Seven of the men made their way out, and two bodies were later discovered by rescuers.

The cause of the incident in the town of Prokopyevsk is being investigated. A total of 51 miners have died in various accidents in the town since 2001. The Kuznetsk Basin, in which the region is located, is one of the world`s largest coal-producing areas.

The accident comes in the wake of a series of tragedies at Russian coal mines since the beginning of the year. Two explosions at the Yubileinaya and Ulyanovskaya mines in the Kemerovo Region in May killed a total of 150 people. Eleven died in a coal pit explosion in the Komsomolskaya mine in the arctic town of Vorkuta, North Urals, on June 25.
sections: Accidents, Region News
areas: Siberian region