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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Russian truck convoy back home empty after delivering humanitarian aid to Donbass miners

Earlier in the day, over 20 vehicles delivered 200 tonnes of humanitarian aid - foodstuffs and medicines

MOSCOW, 7 March. /TASS/. The truck convoy of the Russian Emergencies Ministry has returned to Russia empty after delivering humanitarian aid to the city of Donetsk for miners of the Zasyadko mine hit by a methane blast on Wednesday, the National Crisis Management Centre told TASS on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, over 20 vehicles delivered 200 tonnes of humanitarian aid - foodstuffs and medicines.

Read also

Russian convoy with humanitarian aid for families of killed miners crosses state border

"After the trucks had been unloaded, they headed for the Rostov region," the source at the centre said. "All the trucks went through customs and border control at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint and crossed into Russia."

"The fact that the trucks have returned empty can be verified by officers of Ukraine’s customs and border guard services who were present during the procedure of inspection," he said.

The National Crisis Management Centre said that all the cargoes had been handed over to the Zasyadko mine management that would distribute them precisely to the families of miners killed or injured in the blast alongside other staff members.

"No disruptions in the aid delivery have been registered," he said.

The Emergencies Ministry urgently formed an extra convoy with humanitarian aid both for the families of miners killed in a methane blast at the Zasyadko mine and for Donetsk residents in line with the Russian president’s instruction on supplying aid precisely to the families of killed and injured miners.

On Wednesday morning a blast, supposedly caused by methane outburst, rocked the Zasyadko mine where 230 miners were underground at the moment, leaving 33 out of them dead. Another 15 injured were hospitalised.

A search and rescue operation ended on Thursday night.

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Eastern Ukraine

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