KIEV – An explosion at a Ukrainian coal mine killed at least 17 miners yesterday, the latest in a series of accidents that has raised concerns over safety standards in the industry.
Two miners were also injured in the explosion at the Sukhodilska-Eastern mine in the Luhansk region in the former Soviet republic’s coal mining heartland.
“The cause of the blast is being determined,” the emergencies ministry said in a statement, adding that nine miners were still missing.
Interfax news agency quoted a regional mining official as saying the explosion was caused by a concentration of methane gas inside the mine, where 252 people were working at the time. – (Reuters)