Miners trapped after accident in Russia's Arctic pronounced dead

MOSCOW, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The 26 miners who were trapped in a Russian coal mine above the Arctic circle have died and rescue operations have been halted after a third blast underground killed several rescue workers, emergency services said on Sunday.

The miners were trapped on Thursday after a sudden leak of methane gas caused two blasts that led parts of the Severnaya mine in Vorkuta to collapse.

The mine is operated by Vorkutaugol, a subsidiary of Severstal (Reporting by Alexander Winning and Polina Devitt; Editing by David Goodman)