Russia arrests safety inspectors after deadly Siberian mining disaster

A stop sign is seen at the entrance into mine territory following an accident at the Listvyazhnaya coal mine in the Kemerovo region, Russia, November 26, 2021. REUTERS/Alexander Patrin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Police in Siberia said on Friday they had arrested two state safety inspectors suspected of criminal negligence leading to loss of life as Russia's coal mining heartland mourned one of its worst disasters since Soviet times.

A gas leak in a coal mine in the Kemerovo region killed 52 people on Thursday, the Emergencies Ministry confirmed on Friday, including six rescuers who were sent down to try to bring out dozens of men stuck deep underground.