Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Ukrainian mine catches fire, over 600 miners safe
26 Mar 2007 16:13:26 GMT
Source: Reuters
KIEV, March 26 (Reuters) - Rescue teams safely evacuated more than 600 miners from a Ukrainian coal mine on Monday, shortly after the mine-shaft caught fire, the Emergencies Ministry said.

Last week at least 108 people died in an underground explosion at a Siberian mine in neighbouring Russia in what became the nation's worst mining accident since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

"A total of 608 miners were evacuated. Twenty-six stayed underground to help rescuers and do maintenance works in the pit," a Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry official told Reuters.

He said the accident in the eastern Luhansk region had been caused by "unauthorised works with open fire" in the pit. He did not elaborate.

Hundreds die in mining accidents each year in the former Soviet Union where coal mines are deep and often all but depleted, with by poor maintenance and breaches of safety standards.


AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article       Send comments

Countries

Small country map
© 2004 Europa Technologies Ltd.
Reset map

•  Ukraine profile
· View map

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Ukrainian mine catches fire, over 600 miners safe

•  Romanian police leave Kosovo in middle of UN probe

•  Romanian police leave Kosovo in middle of UN probe

•  Neglect and safety breaches plague Russia's mines

•  Major politician killed in separatist Moldova area

MORE >>

Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Mon Mar 26 16:13:18 2007