Coal mine blast in E. Ukraine kills 1, leaves 9 trapped
Xinhua, May 4, 2016 Adjust font size:
At least one miner was killed and nine others were trapped on Wednesday in a methane blast in a coal mine controlled by independence-seeking insurgents in Ukraine's Lugansk region.
The insurgent-run Lugansk information center said the explosion took place at about 5:15 p.m. (1515 GMT) Tuesday at the Maloivanovskaya mine, about 65 km west of Lugansk, when 20 miners were working underground.
The blast occurred 200 meters below the ground. Six workers managed to escape unhurt, while four others were rescued and sent to hospital with burn injuries, it said.
Later in the day, Larysa Aerapetyan, health minister of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic, said high accumulation of methane gas inside the mine leaves little chance for the trapped to stay alive.
Mine accidents happen frequently in Ukraine because of outdated equipment and loose safety regulations. In March 2015, 32 people were killed in an explosion at the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk region. Endi