Russia detains co-owner of coal mine where 51 died in blast

A Russian investigative committee said on Wednesday that the co-owner a Siberian coal mine, where an explosion killed 51 people in November, and three top-managers of his holding have been detained.

President Vladimir Putin this month accused management of falsifying methane data at the Listvyazhnaya mine in Siberia's Kemerovo coal-producing region. It was one of Russia's worst mining disasters this century.

Co-owner Mikhail Fedyaev and his partners control SDS-Ugol Holding, which owns the mine.

Fedyaev and three top-managers of SDS-Ugol were detained and charged with violation of safety rules or abuse of authority, the investigative committee said in a statement.

Fedyaev told a televised meeting with Putin this month that he was "ready to bear any responsibility. It is impossible to bring people back".