Uralkali mine tragedy: Death toll rises to 8; 1 still missing - media

Russian rescuers have found eight dead construction workers after a fire in a mine operated by potash maker Uralkali, and one more person remains missing, Interfax news agency reported on Sunday citing investigators. Nine people were trapped underground by smoke after a fire broke out in the mine in Solikamsk, some 1,500 km (930 miles) northeast of Moscow, on Saturday.

Rescuers have yet to put out the fire, which broke out in a section of the mine that was under construction, and recover the bodies, which lie at a depth of more than 360 metres, Interfax reported. Russia's mining industry has been plagued by accidents for years. In February 2016, 36 miners and rescue workers died in a coal mine above the Arctic circle.