Two tragedies
July 30, 2011
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych named Sunday a national day of mourning on Saturday after two mining accidents left at least 32 people dead.
An explosion at the Sukhodolskaya-Vostochnaya coal mine in the Luhansk region early Friday killed at least 24 people. Two miners are still missing.
Just hours later, eight miners were killed in a separate accident when a piece of heavy machinery collapsed at the Bazhanova pit in the neighboring Donetsk region. Three miners are still unaccounted for.
The twin disasters are the deadliest mining accidents in the Ukraine since 2007, when an explosion killed more than 100 people.
The causes behind Friday's accidents are yet to be officially confirmed, but the likely cause of the Luhansk disaster was a methane explosion, a spokeswoman for the regional administration said.
According to the emergencies ministry, 28 people were working in the mine when the blast occurred at 1:57 am local time (2257 GMT.)
Victims mourned
Rescuers have begun the searching for the missing miners. At the Luhansk mine, they have begun clearing gas from an emergency access tunnel in the hope of finding the missing miners. There is, however, little hope that they will be found alive.
Two of the victims were buried on Saturday and a further 15 are due to be buried on Sunday. A funeral service for the victims will be attended by Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.
The twin accidents have raised concerns over the industrial safety standards in the country's mines. The president has ordered a government commission to investigate Friday's disasters and develop a new program on mine safety.
Deadly mine blasts are frequent in the Ukraine and are most commonly triggered by build-ups of methane gas. Accidents more often take place in the industrial east of the country where mines are often poorly equipped.
Author: Charlotte Chelsom-Pill (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Kyle James