Death toll of Donetsk coalmine accident reaches 11
18:11, 12 June 2009
DONETSK, June 12. KAZINFORM. The number of miners, who died at the Skochinsky Mine of Donetsk on Monday as a result of an outburst of firedamp, grew to reach 11 by Friday morning. The dead body of one more miner was found at night. Rescuers so far fail to retrieve the body, sources from the territorial branch of the State Industrial Inspectorate told Itar-Tass; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.
The body of the tenth miner found on Thursday was retrieved from under the debris last night and brought to the surface. The bodies of nine miners were found in three preceding days. They have already been buried in Donetsk.
The fate of two more miners remains unclear. Rescuers together with miners work to remove debris of coal and rock at the depth of 1,250 meters where firedamp still transpires. Only life support systems are functioning in the mine.
The Skochinsky Mine was put in operation in 1975. It is the youngest of Donetsk coalmines. The Skochinsky Mine produces top-quality coking coal at a depth exceeding one kilometre. At the same time, it is regarded as one of the most dangerous mines because of sudden outbursts of coal, firedamp and rock, as well as high explosive power of coal dust; Kazinform cites Itar-Tass. See www.itar-tass.com for full version.