Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has urged the question of providing state financial aid for the restoration of the Raspadskaya coalmine in west Siberia to be considered within the next month, a first Russian deputy prime minister said on Monday.

Rescue work is still under way at the Raspadskaya coalmine in the west Siberian town of Mezhdurechensk following two explosions that hit the mine on the night of May 8-9. Sixty-seven bodies have been recovered from the mine, and 23 people are still missing underground.

"On considering the possibilities of state support, the prime minister instructed a large sum of money to be invested," Viktor Zubkov said, adding that it was "just an instruction."

Zubkov said it usually takes around a month to implement such orders but this one may be faster as the relevant ministries and departments have already begun to look into the issue.

Earlier on Monday, Russian business daily Vedomosti said the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade was expecting proposals from Raspadskaya concerning state financial aid for restoring the mine.

Preliminary estimates put the cost of the damage in the mine at around 5.8 billion rubles ($186 million) and it is believed that restoration efforts will take around six months.

Deputy Director of the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry Alexei Pinchuk said that if the mine needs help, it should turn to the authorities as the government is ready to consider the issue.

Vedomosti said the government is also considering allowing steel companies to import coal duty-free as a result of the drop in Russian coal production following the accident.

The accident in Raspadskaya coal mine is thought to have been caused by poor observation of safety regulations. Earlier this week a special investigations committee ordered criminal charges against the mine's ex-director Igor Volkov for violating safety rules.

The Russian industrial safety watchdog detected over 1,400 safety violations at the mine in 2009 and in January-April 2010 and suspended production five times.

Safety regulations are often poorly enforced in Russia and fatal accidents are all too common.

NOVO-OGARYOVO, May 24 (RIA Novosti)