Baku-APA. At least 10 miners were killed and 23 more were missing feared dead in eastern Ukraine after a blast on Wednesday at an accident-prone coal mine in the rebel-held city of Donetsk, APA reports quoting AFP.
The early morning blast, believed to be caused by a build-up of methane gas, hit the Zasyadko mine near the city's bomb-scarred airport in what officials described as a "terrible tragedy".
By Wednesday evening 10 bodies had been located, according to the regional administration.
"The fate of 23 other miners is still unknown," the pro-Kiev administration said on its website, adding that 16 miners were being treated in hospital for injuries.
The head of the rebel Donetsk People's Republic administration, Maksim Leshchenko, told reporters that 197 workers, out of 230 in the mine when the explosion occurred shortly before 0400 GMT, had been rescued alive.
On Wednesday evening, emergency workers were forced to call off the rescue operation due to the threat posed by the high methane levels, Mykhaylo Volynets of the Ukrainian Independent Miners Union said.
A spokesman for another mining union, who did not wish to be named, told AFP the chances of finding more survivors were "practically zero".
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