MOSCOW, Feb. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- The death toll has risen to 17 from a coal mine blast in the Kemerovo region of Russia's Siberia on Wednesday, Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said Wednesday.

    "Rescuers have found another seven bodies over the past hour," and another nine people are still missing and believed to be trapped in the mine, the Interfax news agency quoted a ministry spokesman as saying.

    Earlier reports said a blast at the Yesaulskaya mine in the Kemerovo region occurred at 8:00 a.m. Moscow time (0500 GMT) early morning on Wednesday, it was apparently a methane blast.

    The Governor of Kemerovo region Aman Tuleyev said that the searching work is being hampered by continuing flashes of methane gas in the mine.

    Tuleyev said the victims' families will each receive from 700,000 rubles (about 25,000 US dollars) to 800,000 rubles (about 28,570 dollars) in compensation, the funds will come from the regional budget and Yuzhkuzbassugol company, which owns the Yesaulskaya mine.

    A special commission has been set up to help the victims' families, according to the governor.

    The mine explosion is the second accident at the Yesaulskaya mine this year, following a fire on Jan. 25 when all miners in the shaft were rescued. Enditem