A methane gas explosion which hit the Zasyadko coal mine in Ukraine on November 18 has resulted in the death of at least 69 people, while 31 miners still remain trapped inside the mine.
Drilling works which were being carried out in the mine at the time of the explosion have been cited as the possible cause of the accident. However, an expert commission is to determine the actual causes of the blast.
The Zasyadko coal mine, which is located in the heart of the country's main coal mining region of Donetsk, is one of the largest Ukrainian coal mines and has a production capacity of up to four million metric tons of coal a year.