DONETSK (Sputnik) – An explosion has occurred in a mine with over 70 workers remaining underground in the eastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, the DPR Emergencies Ministry’s press secretary said Wednesday.
"An apparent explosion from gas mixtures occurred with 47 people in the mineshaft, 33 of whom were located in a damaged section," the ministry said.
According to the head of Ukraine’s Independent Union of Miners, Mykhailo Volynets, there were 207 miners underground when the blast occurred 1,230 meters (over 4,000 feet) underground. The explosion at the Zasyadko Mine was apparently sparked by methane gas.
He added that at least five miners suffered burn injuries and have been removed from the mineshaft.
The DPR's Emergencies Ministry's press secretary, Yuliana Bedilo, said that at least one person has died in the explosion.
"We currently know of one death and five injured [miners]," Bedilo said.
Rescue operations are continuing, she added.
The mine has not been shelled recently, Volynets said on 112 Ukraina television channel.
Mining accidents are frequent in Ukraine. The Zasyadko mine is especially known for deadly incidents. In 2007, a methane explosion at the mine killed over 100 workers, the worst mine tragedy in Ukraine’s history.
In January, some 500 miners became trapped after a mortar attack left the Zasyadko mine without power.
