Mine explosion in Donetsk reportedly kills at least 30

Opening the parliament meeting on March 4, Speaker of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine Vladimir Groysman said 32 miners were killed after a methane explosion at Zasyadko Mine in Donetsk. The speaker asked the parliamentarians to observe a minute of silence in memory of the killed miners.

Meanwhile, Spokesperson of the State Service for Emergency Situations of Ukraine Natalya Bystra briefed media on the incident today in the morning saying one was killed and 15 were injured in the mine accident.

The Donetsk People’s Republic authorities have not yet confirmed the reports on the death of 30 miners. “So far I can say that 32 people are in the mine at present. One was killed.  It is, at least, unethical to say that those people were killed before rescuers find them,” Ivan Prikhodko, the head of the Kievsky and Kuybishevsky districts in Donetsk told the Donetsk News Agency today.

According to Ukrainian media eeports, presumably, it was a methane exposition. The circumstances of the incident are being verified.

Confederation of the Free Trade Unions of Ukraine reports that 207 miners were in the mine at the moment of explosion. Five managed to get out of the mine, while 47 are still missing. Head of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine Mikhail Volynets said there was no shelling in the area during the last days.

The mine – one of the biggest producers of met coal -  is not in the area under control of Ukraine.