The explosion at the Krasnolimanskaya mine in the Donetsk Region, where 14 miners were working the night shift, occurred early Friday morning.
Marina Nikitina earlier said 10 miners had been caught in the blast, the body of a miner had been brought to the surface, with three injured workers managing to climb out on their own, and six miners still missing.
The Krasnolimanskaya mine is known for its poor safety record and is considered high risk for methane explosions. Last December alone, two fires occurred in the mine.