At least 30 killed in Ukraine mine blast

A blast at a coal mine in the eastern Ukrainian rebel stronghold of Donetsk has left more than 30 people dead, a local official has said, with dozens more miners who were underground at the time unaccounted for.

Miners’ relatives were gathering at the entrance to the Zasyadko mine desperately trying to get more information, according to a Reuters reporter at the scene.

Local officials said about 70 people were working in the mine when the explosion happened. One worker, leaving the mine in dirty overalls, said he had heard that 45 people were still trapped underground, though there was no immediate confirmation of the figure.

“According to preliminary information, more than 30 people were killed. Rescue workers have not yet come to the place of the explosion, they are removing the poisonous gas and then will go down,” said Vladimir Tsymbalenko, the head of the local mining safety service.

The cause of the blast in the Zasyadko coal mine was not immediately clear.