Kazakhstan mine blast 'kills 32'

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At least 32 miners have been killed and eight are missing after a blast at a coal mine in Kazakhstan, officials say.

Around 300 miners are reported to have escaped Lenin mine in the northern Karaganda region following the explosion and subsequent fire.

Rescue efforts were being hampered by conditions underground, an official for mine owners Mittal Steel was quoted as saying.

The company said the cause of the blast was not yet known.

Russian news agency Interfax said the miners were killed in a methane gas explosion.

"Thirty-two bodies have been brought to the surface, while two injured are still showing signs of life," an official at the emergency situations ministry told AFP news agency.