Rescue teams found 23 miners alive following a huge explosion at a coal mine in Ukraine, but one miner was confirmed dead and 13 others missing more than 24 hours after the blast.

Rescuers were continuing to search today for 34 miners trapped underground after a powerful explosion ripped through a coal mine in eastern Ukraine.

THIRTY-SEVEN miners were trapped after a gas explosion tore through a pit in Ukraine’s Donbass coalfield, destroying the main shaft and complicating rescue attempts.

Ukrainian officials say four coal miners have been seriously injured and at least 37 are missing after an explosion at a mine in the eastern Donetsk region.