2nd LD: eight bodies recovered from collapsed mine in Ukraine

The search operation at the site of Thursday's coal mine collapse in western Ukraine has finished with rescuers recovering the bodies of eight miners, the State Service for Emergencies said, dismissing the earlier reports that 11 workers were killed in the accident.

The Stepova mine in Lviv region has collapsed at around 12.46 p.m. local time (10:46 GMT) following the blast when 34 miners were working underground.

A total of 26 miners were brought to the surface alive and six of them were injured, the State Service for Emergencies said in a statement on its website.

Meanwhile, the country's Health Ministry put the number of the injured workers at 14, saying that two of them are in critical condition.

Neither Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman nor Energy and Coal Minister Igor Nasalyk, who are at the site of the accident, have commented on the number of casualties yet.

Initial investigation has suggested that the explosion, which occurred at the depth of 550 meters, has been caused by methane gas blast.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko declared a national day of mourning for dead miners on March 3. Endit