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Sunday, November 18, 2007


Methane Blast Kills 100 in Donetsk Mine (Updated)

A massive explosion at the Zasyadka Mine —
some 1,078 m (3,537 ft) underground — at 3:11 a.m. Kyiv time on Sunday took the lives of 100 miners in what has already become Ukraine's deadliest mine accident.

As of 3:09 p.m. Tuesday, the bodies of 10 more miners have yet to be recovered. 32 miners have been hospitalized; 53 bodies have been identified; 28 were buried today. Body recovery efforts are hampered by the fire that still rages on deep inside the mine shaft.

Tuesday will be a day of mourning in Ukraine.
(Read the CNN report. View UNIAN photo reports here and here.)

According to experts, the casualty rate in the local mining industry puts Ukraine second only to China. Here's a quote from the CNN report:

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.

The Zasyadka Mine is rented by Yukhym Zvyahilsky, a member of the Party of Regions.

Listed below is the death toll from major mine accidents in Ukraine during the last sixteen years:

Jun. 1991 Pivdenno-Donbaska Mine, Vugledar, Donetsk Oblast: 31
Sept. 1994 Slovyanoserbsk, Luhansk Oblast: 30
Apr. 1998 Skochynsky Mine, Donetsk: 63
May 1999 Zasyadka Mine, Donetsk: 50
Mar. 2000 Barakova Mine, Luhansk: 80
Aug. 2001 Zasyadka, Donetsk: 55
Jul. 2002 Ukraine Mine, Ukrayinsk, Donetsk Oblast: 35
Jul. 2004 Krasny Lyman, Donetsk Oblast: 37
Sept. 2006 Zasyadka Mine, Donetsk: 13
Oct. 2007 Krasnodonvugillya Mine, Luhansk Oblast: 4



Sources:

http://unian.net/ukr/news/news-222612.html
http://unian.net/ukr/news/news-222523.html
http://unian.net/ukr/news/news-222495.html
http://unian.net/ukr/news/news-222322.html
http://unian.net/ukr/news/news-222296.html
http://photo.unian.net/ukr/themes/5485
http://photo.unian.net/ukr/themes/5510
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2007/11/18/67002.htm
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2007/11/18/66999.htm
http://www.gpu.ua/index.php?&id=131178&eid=212
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/19/ukraine.mining.ap/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/18/ukraine.mining.ap/index.html

Video uploaded from: http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/68480.html
Photo courtesy of: AP

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

A report written in 2004 on the poor effectiveness of Ukrainian coal mines states that "Our study shows that nearly 40% of all Ukrainian mines have been functioning for more than 50 years, and 14.9% for more
than 70 years." ... "Ukraine's coal mining sector, which remains heavily subsidized by the Ukrainian
government, has the world's highest death rate, mostly the result of obsolete equipment and low
safety standards."

http://www.edc.com.ua/free_papers
/coal-oleg2a.pdf

Luida

Terrible, devasting news. Prayers to faimily. Have no words other than to curse that coal mines have been under pressure to produce more based on inc. demand with rise in natural gas prices.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Party of Regions, for "efficiency," "stabilnist," and "prosperous families."

When will the idiots who vote for the thugs and sovoks in the Party of Regions finally get it through their heads that sovok slogans don't prevent mine explosions?

Has Vekselberg paid the victims of the apartment explosions yet?

Taras said...

The Zasyadka Mine is a killing machine. It tells a lot about stabilnist. It tells what many don’t want to hear.

Yes, Vekselberg reportedly kept his promise: 100,000 hryvnias ($20,000) to each family. Yanukovych has promised the same amount to every deceased miner’s family.

Which makes $20,000 the going rate for every human life lost to our country’s inhumane living and working conditions. Welcome to Ukraine!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have proof that the payments were actually paid, or is this just more virtual politics?


And you are absolutely right - what's a few thousand dollars for a few Ukrainians killed, when you only have to pay $20,000, as opposed to the billions in assets and revenues that these "французи" are able to steal.

Taras said...

Can’t tell. A few days ago, I read a report that indicated problems in the payout process.

What’s even more outrageous is that the “death benefits” in the Zasyadka case will come from the budget, not from the mine owner’s coffers. Is that what the Party of Regions meant by “prosperity” in those campaign ads?

And no one even talks about suing the bastard.

Michelle said...

This is an ongoing tragedy for those who must work in these conditions in order to feed their families. My heart goes out to all the people who lost loved ones.....

Taras said...

Thank you for your warm words, Michelle. It’s both a time to reach out to the victims, and a time to reach for higher ground.

This tragedy has happened too many times. It must be stopped, or more people will die, people who work, live, and die like slaves.

In Ukraine, the slave gets the coffin, the master gets the cash. That’s the social contract. Stability and prosperity! What’s missing is awareness and organization.

Taras said...

I have an important update. According to Coal Industry Minister Serhiy Tulub, 300,000 hryvnias ($60,000) will go to every family. However, Mr. Tulub did not specify whether the money will come from Mr. Zvyahilsky, from insurance companies, or from taxpayers.