Fire Kills 33 Miners in Ukrainian Coal Pit

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, July 08, 2002

Fire Kills 33 Miners in Ukrainian Coal Pit

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Families grieved on Monday for husbands, sons and brothers killed when a weekend fire raged through a rusting coal mine, prompting Ukrainian officials to consider again the future of a creaking, loss-making industry.

Thirty-four miners suffocated to death after being trapped by a blaze hundreds of meters below ground at the colliery in eastern Ukraine on Sunday in the latest of many mining tragedies to plague the former Soviet republic.

The blaze brought the death toll from mining accidents to almost 150 so far this year. President Leonid Kuchma sent a high-level team to the region to determine what went wrong.

But for some of the miners' relatives the answer was clear -- stop sending them down to dangerous coal faces without the necessary safety checks.

A second fire also broke out at another mine in eastern Ukraine over the weekend, but was extinguished and all 60 miners there were brought to safety.

The two accidents were a bitter reminder of Ukraine's legacy of antiquated Soviet infrastructure.

About 300 miners died last year in Ukraine's deep coal mines, plagued by poor working conditions, a lax regard for safety rules and lack of funds for modernizing.

Questions?Comments? Click here

8 Dead in Ukrainian Plane Crash

Ukrainian President Satisfied with Ties with China

FM Spokesman on Chinese Diplomat Killed in Kyrgyzstan ( 16 Messages)

China Races to Replace US as Economic Power in Asia: NY Times ( 24 Messages)

Shanghai Plans Asia's Biggest Shopping Center ( 3 Messages)

China to Boost the Service Sector to Create More Jobs ( 40 Messages)

Chinese Scientists to Head for Suspected ET Relics ( 40 Messages)