Ukraine mine blast kills 65
DONETSK, Ukraine (AFP) — At least 65 miners died and 35 were missing Sunday after a gas explosion ripped through one of Ukraine's main coal mines, the emergency situations ministry said.
"Sixty-five people were killed and the fate of 35 others is unknown," ministry spokesman Igor Krol told AFP, adding that 28 miners had been hospitalised.
A total of 456 people were in the Zasyadko mine in the eastern Donetsk region when the explosion occurred at 3:11 am (0111 GMT), a spokesman for the emergency situations ministry said.
A massive rescue operation continued through the day with 65 rescue teams and more than 20 medical units at the scene, the emergency situations ministry said in a statement.
Grim-faced rescuers wearing hard hats and carrying oxygen tanks prepared to descend into the mine, where officials said a fire was still raging.
"I don't know what happened. I heard a bang and the air started to get hotter," miner Vitaly Svetkovsky, 30, said at a local hospital, his eyes circled in coal dust.
The hospital's chief doctor Yevgeny Gadchuk said most of the miners hospitalized were suffering from methane inhalation. "They're in a state of shock," he said.
Hundreds of desperate family members gathered by the entrance to the mine looking for news of their loved ones.
"I detest them, these mines," said a middle-aged woman, in tears as she tried to track down a relative.
Officials periodically came out of an administrative building with names of those who were confirmed as dead.
"Dear friends, we have some new surnames: Ershov, Pavlenko..." an official said. The names were met with cries from relatives.
Challenged about delays in identifying the bodies, the official snapped: "How can one identify a body missing an arm and without a head?"
At least 350 miners had been evacuated, said Mykola Maleyev, an official with Ukraine's work safety authority.
"Work has been complicated by the fact that the incident has affected the ventilation system," Malayev said.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who comes from the region, headed to the scene to oversee the government's response to one of the worst mining accidents in the country, vowing to establish the cause of the accident.
"I am grieving with all of Ukraine," President Viktor Yushchenko said in a statement.
The head of the regional administration declared three days of mourning, Interfax reported.
The Zasyadko mine, one of Ukraine's largest, employs some 10,000 people and produces up to 10,000 tonnes of coal every day.
After several deadly accidents it has gained a reputation as one of the most dangerous in the country.
A gas leak in September 2006 killed 13 miners and made dozens more sick.
In 1999 an explosion there claimed 50 lives, while in 2001 another blast left 55 people dead.
Most of the disasters were caused by build-ups of methane gas, which can occur suddenly in the mine shafts, said Anatoly Akimochkin, deputy head of Ukraine's Independent Miners' Union.
Wages at most Ukrainian mines depend on the volume of coal produced, which gives miners an incentive to ignore safety procedures that would halt work when methane levels are high, he said.
"Everyone tries not to pay attention to small problems in the safety equipment," Akimochkin said. "The pay system is one of the biggest causes of our accidents."
Ukraine's coal mines are concentrated in the eastern part of the country and are considered among the most perilous in the world, with many poorly financed and employing outdated Soviet-era equipment.
Similar conditions are found in mines across the former Soviet Union.
One miner was killed on Saturday in the Lenin Mine, also in the Donetsk region, after a section of tunnel collapsed, Interfax news agency reported, citing the emergency situations ministry.
An explosion in a coal mine has killed at least 80 people in the city of Donetsk, Ukraine, while 20 people are reported missing.

According to reports transmitted by the local press and the Emergency Situations Department, 360 miners managed to get to the surface safely; 28 others are currently hospitalized, some with severe burns.

The Zasyadko mine is nearly 1,000 meters deep, and 457 people were in the mine when the explosion occurred at 3:11 am.

The cause of the explosion is still unknown. Initial reports suggest that the explosion was caused by methane mixing with the air in the mine.

During the afternoon, more than thirty rescue teams were found at the scene, wearing hard hats and oxygen tanks as they prepared to enter the mine.

Relatives of the victims gathered around the entrance to the mine, awaiting news of their loved ones. Officials read the names of those confirmed as dead.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, responded to the scene; the president of the country, Viktor Yushchenko, will visit the area this Monday.  

"I am grieving with all of Ukraine", declared the Ukrainian head of state. He also criticized the government, saying that the mining industry has been a victim of "insufficient efforts".

With obsolete installations and poor construction, Ukraine has been a victim of various mining accidents in the past. According to union estimations, between 2006 and 2007 nearly 250 miners died in accidents.