At least 19 dead in latest Ukraine mine disaster

At least 19 miners were killed by an explosion that rocked a coal mine in southeastern Ukraine last night.

It was the former Soviet state’s third such tragedy in less than a month.

Two miners were still missing after the blast 3,560ft underground, the Emergency Situations Ministry said. Nineteen bodies had been recovered by early today.

Dozens of rescue teams raced to the accident scene at the Zasiadko mine in Donetsk. The accident was the latest in Ukraine’s mines, where at least 166 miners had already died this year.

It was not immediately clear what had caused last night’s explosion.

On July 7, 35 coal miners were killed in a fire, and on July 21 a methane blast killed six miners and injured 18.

“We can long count the reasons for accidents, but it is obvious that the mines’ system of safety control works insufficiently,” the State Labour Safety Committee said.