Officials believe the workers were victims of a methane explosion more than half a kilometre below the surface.
Eight miners were rescued. Four of them were injured, two requiring treatment in hospital. Officials initially said some workers had walked out of a tunnel on their own, but they later retracted the statement.
Several badly burned corpses have been pulled from the mine, making identification difficult.
The shortest route to where the miners are believed trapped is blocked off. Early Sunday, rescue workers were trying to use a longer route to reach the group.
One of injured miners said there was a loud bang and a flash in the Taizhina mine shortly before 7 a.m. local time.
Accidents are common in Russia's mining industry, but the Itar-Tass news agency said Saturday's explosion was the first major problem at the Taizhina mine, located in western Siberia's coal-rich Kuzbass area.
The mine opened in 1998 and employs about 600 people.
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