Ukraine miners still missing

Eleven miners have been killed and 28 remain missing after an explosion at a coal mine in the Ukraine on Tuesday, officials said yesterday.

At the time of the blast 172 miners were evacuated from the mine.

“As of 9.30am [local time], 11 bodies have been found and 10 miners are injured,” the Emergencies Ministry said in a statement.

“The fate of 28 miners is still unknown.”

Officials said the explosion was caused by a mixture of coal powder and methane, Reuters reported.

The accident occurred at the Zasyadko coal mine in the eastern Donbass coal field.

Mine blast kills more than 40 in Kazakhstan

An explosion that killed more than 40 people at the Kazakhstan coal mine owned by Mittal Steel yesterday marks the company's third major mining accident in the region in the past five years.

The number of accidents attributable to the Netherlands-based company’s mines has raised questions about the quality of operations that co-chairman and major shareholder Lakshmi Mittal has acquired while trying to expand the company, Dow Jones reported.

The underground Lenin coal mine is close to the company’s massive steel plant in the central region of Karaganda, about 200km south of the capital, Astana.

“We deeply regret this tragic accident and extend our full sympathy and condolences to the families of everyone that has been affected,” Mittal said in a statement.

“The safety of our workers is a priority, and the company will be working very closely with the authorities to discover the cause of this tragic event.”

Mittal and other senior executives are expected to visit the mine in coming days, Dow Jones reported.

Two killed at South Africa's Kumba coal mine

Two miners were killed at Kumba Resources’ Tshikondeni coal mine in South Africa yesterday after a mine shaft collapsed, the company said in a statement.

“Rescue efforts were seriously hampered by poor roof conditions and multiple fall of ground,” the company said.

Kumba, which also has interests in base metals and heavy minerals, is majority owned by mining giant Anglo American, Reuters said.

Coal mine accident kills 4 in north China

Four miners were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in a coal mine in north China's Hebei Province on Tuesday, local workplace safety authorities said today.

The accident occurred at 5.20pm local time when seven miners were working in the Yuequan Coal Mine in Chengde city, about 224km northeast of Beijing EastDay.com reported.

The three survivors and the dead miners have all been retrieved from the mine.