1 dead, several others trapped in coal mine explosion

onnaedo

March 4, 2015 1:25 PM

An early morning explosion in a Ukraine mine has left one person dead and 30 others trapped.

1 miner has died while 30 others are trapped after an explosion ripped through a coal mine in war-torn eastern Ukraine.

The explosion which happened before dawn took place at the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk, an eastern city under the control of separatist rebels, but rebel authorities said it was not caused by shelling.

Big Story reports that Ukraine's parliament, Volodymyr Groysman, said he can confirm only one death, pedaling back on an earlier claim that 32 miners had died. It was unclear what his source for the information was, since rebel authorities do not answer to the government in Kiev.

Reports say the explosion was caused by a mixture of gas and air and occurred at a depth of more than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet deep) as 230 workers were in the mine.

Donetsk rebel officials report that rescue operations are ongoing and at least 157 workers have been evacuated from the mine while 14 people have been sent to medical treatment centers.

The Zasyadko mine is considered particularly dangerous for its high methane content and in November 2007, 101 workers were killed in an accident. 52 workers were also killed there in early December of the same year, and 5 other miners were killed in another episode later that month.

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