'19 killed, 83 missing in Ukraine mine blast'

DONETSK (Ukraine): A gas explosion ripped through a notoriously dangerous Ukrainian coal mine on Sunday killing at least 19 miners and leaving dozens more missing, the ministry of emergency situations said.   

Rescuers were searching for 83 other miners who had been working in the Zasyadko mine in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, ministry spokesman Igor Krol said. A fire ignited by the blast was still burning underground, he said.   

Shocked family members gathered by the mine on Sunday morning, many desperate for news of their loved-ones. "I detest them, these mines," said a middle-aged woman, in tears as she tried to get news of a relative.   

A massive rescue operation has been initiated with 65 rescue teams and 21 medical units deployed to the scene, the ministry said.   

More than 450 people had been working in the mine when the explosion occurred at 3:11 am local time (0111 GMT), a statement said. So far some 350 miners had been evacuated, said Mykola Maleyev, an official with Ukraine's work safety authority.   

"Work has been complicated by the fact that the incident has affected the ventilation system," Malayev said. The Zasyadko mine, one of Ukraine's largest, employs some 10,000 people and produces up to 10,000 tonnes of coal every day. After several deadly accidents it has gained a reputation as one of the most dangerous in the country. A gas leak in September 2006 killed 13 miners and made dozens sicker.   

In 1999 an explosion there claimed 50 lives, while in 2001 another blast claimed 55 lives. Most of the disasters were caused by build-ups of methane gas, which can occur suddenly in the mine shafts, said Anatoly Akimochkin, deputy head of Ukraine's Independent Miners' Union. "A lot has been done in the mine since those earlier accidents... but the situation in particular work areas often varies from the standards of the mine as a whole," he said.   

Ukraine's coal mines are concentrated in the eastern part of the country and are considered among the most perilous in the world, with many poorly financed and employing outdated Soviet-era equipment. One miner was killed on Saturday in the Lenin Mine, also in Donetsk region, after a section of tunnel collapsed, Interfax news agency reported, citing the emergency situations ministry.