MOSCOW, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Tuesday declared a day of nationwide mourning for more than 170 people killed in a mine blast, a fire at a nursing home and a plane crash , which have occurred in the past four days in the country.

    President Vladimir Putin declared Wednesday a day of mourning in Russia to "express sorrow for the dead and offer condolences to their families," the Kremlin said in a statement.

    The national flag is to be flown at half-mast and entertainment events are to be canceled on television, radio and at other cultural establishments, the statement said.

    At least 107 people have been killed in the methane explosion Monday at a coal mine in the Siberian region of Kemerovo.

    Sixty-two people were killed in a fire that erupted early Tuesday in a nursing home in the southern Krasnodar territory.

    Six people died in crash landing of a Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft Saturday in Samara, a city on the Volga river. ¡¡