Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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November 18, 2007

39 Dead, 51 Missing in Ukraine Coal Mine Explosion
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1A4A36A:A6F02AD83191E16086A8D10F5C2F459830EB2FA2E66CBB22& Officials say
methane gas touched off an explosion and fire early Sunday morning,
more than 1,000 meters underground in the Zasyadko mine, one of
Ukraine's largest





Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry rescuers prepare go to the entrance of
the Zasyadka mine in Donetsk, Ukraine, Sunday, 18 Nov. 2007

Ukrainian officials say at least 39 miners were killed and more than
50 others are missing after a methane gas explosion ripped through a
coal mine on Sunday.  The deadly blast is the latest incident to spark
concerns about the safety of mines in Ukraine. Stefan Bos reports from
Budapest.

Investigators say the explosion ripped through the Zasyadko mine in
the eastern Donetsk region, about one-thousand meters underground.

Initially close to 500 miners were trapped, but most have been brought
to safety. Nearly two dozen required emergency treatment at a local
hospital, many with burn injuries.

Ukraine's Emergency Situations Ministry has told VOA that for many
help has come to late. Duty officer Vladimir Gembovich says they have
recovered the remains of dozens of miners. His ministry has been
flooded by phone calls from relatives desperate for news of their
loved one. Shocked family members gathered by the mine since Sunday
morning.

Gembovich says the investigation into the cause of the blast will try
to determine what triggered the incident.

"They say it was an explosion of methane [gas] mixed with air,"
Gembovich said. "But I think an investigation will be carried out
afterwards and it will clarify everything."

Experts say the Zasyadko mine, one of Ukraine's largest, employs some
ten thousand people and produces up to ten thousand tons of coal every
day.

Since 1999 more than 140 miners have lost their lives in accidents at
the facility, which has gained a reputation as one of the most
dangerous in the country.

Among the most serious accidents was a gas leak in September 2006 that
killed 13 miners and made dozens more sick. And, in 1999 an explosion
there claimed 50 lives, while in 2001 another blast claimed 55 lives.

Russian news reports say that on Saturday in the Lenin Mine, also in
Donetsk region, one miner died after a section of tunnel collapsed. It
comes amid a debate on the future of mining in Ukraine, where a lack
of modern equipment has made the mines among the world's most
dangerous.




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