Kyiv, 1 August 2002 (RFE/RL) -- At least 19 miners were killed late last night in an explosion in a coal mine in Ukraine. The Emergency Situations Ministry says one of the two miners who were missing was pulled out alive today. Ministry officials say they expect to know the exact death toll later today.
The explosion occurred at the Zasiadko mine in Donetsk in southeastern Ukraine.
The accident is the latest disaster for Ukraine's coal mining industry. Six miners were killed and 18 injured in a blast in the southeastern Dniepropetrovsk region six days ago. Thirty-five people were killed in a fire last month at a mine in the Donetsk region. Another 20 people were hospitalized. At least 166 miners are estimated to have been killed on the job this year in Ukraine before yesterday's accident.
The explosion occurred at the Zasiadko mine in Donetsk in southeastern Ukraine.
The accident is the latest disaster for Ukraine's coal mining industry. Six miners were killed and 18 injured in a blast in the southeastern Dniepropetrovsk region six days ago. Thirty-five people were killed in a fire last month at a mine in the Donetsk region. Another 20 people were hospitalized. At least 166 miners are estimated to have been killed on the job this year in Ukraine before yesterday's accident.