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Seven people killed in Donetsk coal mine

According to preliminary reports, the explosion occurred because of methane outburst during drilling operations

© ITAR-TASS/Yevgeny Yepachintsev

DONETSK, April 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Seven people were killed as a result of an explosion that occurred at the Skochinsky coal mine in Ukraine’s Donetsk. The press service of Donetsk Oblast department of the state emergencies service reported this on Friday.

“Seven people have died today. The explosion happened early in the morning,” the service’s spokesperson said.

According to preliminary reports, the explosion occurred because of methane outburst during drilling operations.

The Skochinsky coal mine is located straight in Donetsk and forms part of Donetsk Coal Power Company.

“Neglect of basic safety rules”

The cause of death of seven miners in Donetsk became the “neglect of basic safety rules”, Ukraine’s parliament-appointed Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan stated. “Unfortunately, the tragic incident at the mine was caused by neglect of safety rules; people should have been within a radius of more than 1 km, but they turned out to be directly in the blasting radius. Investigation is underway, and its results will be followed by strict measures,” he added speaking in the Verkhovna Rada. Ukraine’s parliament paid tribute to the victims with a moment of silence.

The parliament-appointed interim President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov reported that in Donetsk, a governmental commission headed by the deputy of parliament-appointed energy minister is working; the rescuers continue their operations.

The prosecutor’s office has filed a criminal case upon the incident. The course of prejudicial inquiry is under personal control of Donetsk Oblast prosecutor.

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