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13 bodies recovered from blast-hit eastern Ukrainian coalmine

Four people remain missing

Ambulance seen near the Skhidkarbon mine following a methane blast Alexander Reka/TASS

Ambulance seen near the Skhidkarbon mine following a methane blast

© Alexander Reka/TASS

LUGANSK, April 27. /TASS/. Rescuers have so far pulled out 13 dead bodies from the blast-hit coalmine in eastern Ukraine’s self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), the local emergencies service said on Saturday.

The combined death toll includes three bodies that were discovered late on Friday and five - early on Saturday, the LPR emergencies service said in a statement released via the Luganskinformtsentr news agency. Previous reports said five dead bodies had been lifted to surface on Thursday and Friday morning.

"As of 6:00 Moscow time, the search for the four persons who remain missing still continues," the statement reads.

Early on April 25, a powerful blast rocked the Skhidkarbon coalmine, triggering a rockfall. 17 people were declared missing in the wake of the disaster. The Russian Emergencies Ministry sent rescuers to the site upon the request of LPR authorities.

Production at the mine was suspended in the second half of 2014 due to intense hostilities in the area. The mine reopened in Janaury 2018, producing 29,868 tonnes of coal last year.

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