KIEV, Ukraine
Search and rescue operations at the Donetsk coal mine ended Thursday after rescuers took out the bodies of 33 miners who died in the accident that happened on Wednesday morning, local authorities said.
Aleksey Kostrubitskiy, the eastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic’s emergency minister, said that 15 miners, who were injured in the incident, were taken to an area hospital.
He added that more than 200 rescuers had taken part in the search and rescue efforts.
The minister also said that officials were investigating the cause of the accident, but initial reports say a methane gas explosion is to blame.
The Zasyadko coal mine was opened in 1958 and produced 144 million tons of coal in 2013.
Six large incidents took place at this mine in the past 15 years, claiming the lives of 244 miners.
