Roof collapse at Ukrainian mine kills 2

Roof collapse at Ukrainian mine kills 2

2011-08-19 17:32:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

DONETSK, UKRAINE (BNO NEWS) -- Two mine workers were killed on Thursday evening when the roof of a coal mine in eastern Ukraine partly collapsed, a spokesperson for the country's Emergencies Ministry said on Friday.

The accident happened at around 6.17 p.m. local time on Thursday when rocks from the roof of the Stakhanov mine in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast collapsed, trapping two workers. It took rescue workers nearly 12 hours to recover the bodies.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known, the Ministry said, adding that an investigative team has been formed. It comes only several weeks after two mine accidents in the country's Lugansk region left 37 people killed. 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.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-08-19