In November alone 523 people died and 987 were injured in industrial accidents.

The ministry also said a total of 400 natural disasters had hit Russia this year, up 11% on 2006.

The number of people killed in incidents involving water was 7, 241, a decline of 12.3% year on year.

And in 2007, engineers from the emergencies ministry diffused 38,733 explosive devices, including 889 aviation bombs.