Explosion traps 37 miners

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.

The miners had been making repairs to improve safety conditions in the mine, officials said. Four workers above ground were injured.

Rescue teams heard the voices of some of the trapped miners after attempting to get to them through a damaged shaft, deputy prime minister Oleksandr Turchynov said.