Blast at eastern Ukraine mine kills 1, injures dozens

Blast at eastern Ukraine mine kills 1, injures dozens

2011-08-05 15:22:37 GMT+7 (ICT)

KIEV (BNO NEWS) – A methane gas explosion at a coal mine in eastern Ukraine has left one miner killed and dozens more injured, Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry said on Friday.

The blast occurred at the Krasnokutskaya coal mine in Ukraine's Lugansk region at around 11.10 a.m. local time on Thursday while equipment was being dismantled.

A spokesperson for the Ministry said the accident happened at a depth of about 155 meters (508 feet) when a hauling winch was switched on. A total of 224 miners were inside the mine when the explosion happened, but most of them were able to escape on their own.

In the direct vicinity of the blast there were 37 workers, 23 of whom were injured. One of those injured later died at a local hospital, the ministry said, while several others remain in a critical condition.

The incident happened about a week after two mine accidents in the same area claimed the lives of 37 miners. One of the accidents killed 26 miners, making it the country's worst mine accident since 2007 when 100 miners died in a blast at a mine near Donetsk.

Fatal accidents are frequent in Ukraine mines, most of which are located in the country's industrial eastern region. Many mines are underfunded and poorly equipped, while safety violations are rife.

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