By RIA Novosti,
Kiev : Three miners were injured and another 40 reported missing following an explosion in a coal mine in east Ukraine, the country’s emergencies ministry said Sunday.
The accident at the Karl Marx mine in the town of Yenakiyevo in the Donetsk region occurred at 6:00 a.m. Moscow time (02:00 a.m. GMT) Sunday when a gas and air mixture exploded.
“Three miners who were on the surface were injured in the blast, while the fate of 40 who were working underground remains unknown,” the emergencies ministry said.
Earlier reports said four miners had been injured in the explosion.
Work at the mine was suspended several days before the accident after violations of safety rules were reported.
Only miners responsible for the mine’s maintenance were underground at the time of the blast.