Rescuers in Russia’s Solikamsk area in Perm region on Sunday found the bodies of all nine workers trapped in a mine. On Saturday morning, workers had been constructing a well 340 metres below the surface, when smoke appeared, and a fire broke out. Of the 17 workers in the mine at the time, only eight managed to reach ground, TASS news agency reported.

Till Sunday morning, rescuers had found eight bodies. “The ninth body was found in the same place as the others,” the country’s emergencies centre said according to the agency. Rescuers failed to reach the trapped miners due to the smoke and high temperature inside the mine.

The Russian group Uralkali, which produces potash, operates the mine, but said that the workers were employed by a subcontractor, AFP reported.

The Investigative Committee of Russia, which is the main investigating authority in the country, has filed a criminal case for violation of safety rules. The committee said it had detained four persons during its inquiry into the incident, Interfax news agency reported.