Donetsk, Ukraine: Rescuers battled a raging fire and a rock slide on Monday in search of 20 trapped coal miners following a powerful methane blast that killed at least 80 others in one of Ukraine's deadliest mining disasters of the post-Soviet era.
The explosion on Sunday at the massive Zasyadko mine highlights the dangers of the country's once proud coal industry.
Dozens of weeping relatives waited at mine headquarters for word on the fates of their loved ones. Cries and sobs broke out as officials called out names of miners found dead. Women buried their faces in their hands, while others extended their arms in the air and some fainted.
''My son works here. He doesn't answer his mobile phone,'' a sobbing middle-aged woman told AP Television News, declining to give her name. ''I don't know what's happened. He has three little children.''
Some 356 miners scrambled to the surface after Sunday's blast, which occurred at a depth of about 3,300 feet. One survivor described clambering over the bodies of his co-workers strewn along an underground rail track and navigating through blinding dust to escape.
A regional emergency ministry spokesman, Oleksandr Soldatov, said 80 miners were confirmed dead and another 20 were missing.
President Viktor Yushchenko ordered a government commission to investigate the accident and called for an overhaul of the coal mining sector.
''The tragedy in Donetsk is yet another challenge not only for Ukraine's coal mining industry, but for the whole government,'' Yushchenko said, in a statement.
In Donetsk, the heart of the former Soviet republic's coal industry, flags flew at half-staff to begin three days of mourning. Some flags were decorated with black ribbons.
As hours passed, hope of finding anyone alive deep underground grew fainter.
''We are not losing hope, but chances are slim,'' said Marina Nikitina, spokeswoman for the government's industrial safety watchdog.
Mykhailo Volynets, head of the Independent Trade Union of Miners, said the bodies pulled from the area where the miners were believed to be trapped were burnt - indicating the others likely did not survive.
''Unfortunately, there is no hope,'' Volynets said.
The blast was the deadliest accident in Ukraine's coal industry in at least seven years. A March 2000 explosion at a coal mine in the neighbouring Luhansk region that killed 81 was the country's worst mining disaster since the Soviet collapse.
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The explosion at Zasyadko highlighted persistent problems that plague the coal mining industry. Located in the heart of Donetsk, the 49-year-old mine sprawls for miles and is a maze of shafts and tunnels beneath the city. One emergency exit is near a cemetery where miners killed in accidents are buried.
The mine is also one of the best-paying in the country and there is high competition for jobs there. One mine official said a typical miner at Zasyadko can earn around four times the country's average monthly wage of $258.
Miners, however, complain the pay is not proportional to the risk they take. The mine has seen several fatal accidents in recent years - 13 killed last year in an explosion, 20 in 2002 and 54 in 2001 - that demonstrate the decay of the coal industry.
Experts say Ukraine's mines are dangerous largely because they are so deep, typically running more than 3,280 feet underground. Most European coal beds lie at a depth of 1,640 to 1,970 feet.
More than 75 percent of Ukraine's roughly 200 coal mines are classified as dangerous because of high levels of methane, a natural by-product of mining that increases in concentration with depth. Mines must be ventilated to prevent explosions, but some rely on outdated ventilation equipment. Safety violations and negligence add to the problem.
Volynets said Ukrainian mines routinely neglect safety rules and workers are paid by the amount of coal they extract, not by the hour. He said miners often disable gas detectors that monitor the level of methane in order to continue working.
Yekaterina Kirichenko, a retired engineer, wept as she accused regional authorities of failing to observe safety rules and invest in safety upgrades.
''Our government doesn't care about people, all they need is dollars,'' said Kirichenko, who came to the mine to comfort a friend whose son was killed. ''Those oligarchs are building cottages for themselves and pay no attention to the mine. They're killing our children.''
Since the 1991 Soviet collapse, more than 4,700 miners in Ukraine have been killed. For every 1 million tons of coal brought to the surface in Ukraine, three miners lose their lives, according to official data.
Despite the dangers, there is growing appetite for Ukraine's rich coal reserves, particularly with natural gas prices rising. The government has called for production to increase by one-third to 80 million tons this year.
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