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Mine explosion in Ukrainian province Donetsk kills at least 69

19 November 2007 10:28 (UTC +04:00)

APA reports quoting Ukrainian sources that 456 people were underground. 186 of them were working in the territory where the accident occurred. According to the latest reports, the death toll reached 69 and 31 are missing.
28 wounded miners are being treated now.
Three-day mourning has been declared in Donetsk. A government commission headed by Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Klyuyev is working on the site.
According to the decision of the Cabinet, 7.5mln. hryvnias has been allocated from state budget reserve fund for the families of the dead and wounded. President Victor Yushchenko will concern himself with the measures taken to remove the results of the accident. He is expected to hold a special meeting in Donetsk.
Four fatal accidents have occurred in Zasyadko mine since 1999. In 1999 on May 24 explosion killed 50, 55 people in 2001 on August 19, 20 people in 2002 July 31 and 13 died on September 20, 2006. The greatest accident in the history of independent Ukraine occurred in Barakov mine in Lugansk province in March, 2000. The explosion killed 80 miners. /APA/