Kiev,Ukraine, July 29: A powerful explosion rocked a coal mine in eastern Ukraine early Friday, killing 16 workers, emergency officials said.
Three workers were hospitalized with burns and emergency officials were working to locate nine other miners who had been working in the area of the explosion.
The blast hit the Suhodilsk-Eastern mine in the eastern Luhansk region at about 2 a.m. local time at a depth of 915 meters (3,000 feet), the ministry said.
Investigators are working to establish the cause of the explosion.Ukraine's coal mines are among the world's most dangerous due to outdated equipment and poor safety standards.On Tuesday, three workers died at another mine in the eastern part of the country when the roof collapsed. AP
