Reports from eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region say the death toll from an underground coal-mine explosion has been raised to 17, with Russia-backed separatist leaders who control the mine saying all the bodies of missing miners have been recovered.
The revised death toll was announced on April 27 after search-and-rescue workers recovered the miners' bodies from beneath debris inside the mine in the village of Yurivka, which is in territory controlled by Russia-backed separatists.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry says it sent mine rescuers to the Skhidcarbon mine at the request of separatist leaders who control the mine’s operations.
Rescue workers from the Ukrainian government did not have official access to the area.
A methane gas explosion ripped through the mine on April 25, reportedly causing parts of the mine to collapse.
The Skhidcarbon mine had been closed in 2014 due to the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and the Russia-backed separatists. But it was reopened in 2018.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Putin Sends Signals To The West On Ukraine Ahead Of Trump's New Term
2Kyiv Says It Broke Up Russian Spy Network Targeting F-16 Fighter Data
3What Would The Russian Capture Of Pokrovsk Mean For The Ukraine War?
4Russia Moving Military Assets To Africa After Syria Setback
5Ukraine Hits Kazan Buildings In Latest Display Of Drone Power
6The Moment A Russian General Was Killed By A Scooter Bomb In Moscow
7'They Look Tense': Photographer Describes Scenes At Russian Base In Syria
8U.S., U.K. Say Medvedev's Comment Calling NATO Officials 'Legitimate Targets' Irresponsible
9Russian General Charged With Chemical Weapons Use In Ukraine Killed In Blast Claimed By Kyiv
10Bolstered By North Korean Troops, Russia Presses Attacks in Kursk Region
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.