110 rescued, hundreds remain trapped underground in Donetsk mine
More than 100 miners have already been evacuated from the Donetsk mine, while hundreds remain trapped underground, Donetsk news agency said Monday, according to Sputnik News.
"A shell fell in the area of the mine, as a result electric power supply is disrupted… There is no threat of the mine flooding, evacuation of 110 miners has been carried out," the agency quoted Deputy Donetsk Militia Commander, Eduard Basurin, as saying.
Earlier it was reported that around 500 miners were trapped underground in eastern Ukraine near Donetsk after a mortar strike had left the Zasyadko mine without power, a source in the republic’s Emergencies Ministry said Monday.
"At around 12:00 [09:00 GMT] a [mortar] struck a power station that powers the Zasyadko mine, where there are currently 496 miners underground," the source said.
There have been no injuries reported, the remaining miners are waiting to be rescued. The underground ventilation is operating correctly, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Donetsk People's Republic.