The 2007 Zasyadko mine disaster was a

mining accident A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground coal mining, although accidents also occur in hard rock mining. ...

that happened on November 18, 2007 at the Zasyadko coal mine ( uk, Шахта ім. Засядько) in the eastern

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

city of

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loca ...

. By November 30, 101 miners were reported dead: the worst accident in Ukraine's history. At the time of the explosion, 457 miners were in the complex.

Causes and investigation

The accident was caused by a methane explosion located more than below ground level. The Zasyadko Mine is considered one of the most dangerous

coal mine Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

s in the world, An independent mining expert recently claimed that the company management, linked to a powerful local clan, interferes with hazard-

measuring Measurement is the quantification of attributes of an object or event, which can be used to compare with other objects or events. In other words, measurement is a process of determining how large or small a physical quantity is as compared ...

equipment on a permanent basis, in order to present underground situation as being within the

safety standards Safety standards are standards designed to ensure the safety of products, activities and processes, etc. They may be advisory or compulsory and are normally laid down by an advisory or regulatory body that may be either voluntary or statutory. In ...

, and so to prevent production from closure by the government inspectors.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( uk, Віктор Андрійович Ющенко, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. As an informal leader of th ...

blamed the cabinet for failing to “implement safe mining practices” in the coal industry. A criminal investigation is also underway.

Government reaction

Families of the deceased miners will receive compensations totaling ₴100,000, (approx. $ USD) which constitutes part of the ₴15 million that the Government of Ukraine had set aside for renovation of the mine to prevent future accidents from happening. On November 19, 2007,

signed a decree that calls for investigation into Zasyadko mine disaster as well as prevention of such disasters in the future. The President also signed a decree making November 20 a Day of National Mourning.

Mining accidents trend

Within the past decade, the frequency of mining accidents has increased in the Donbas coal region. The Zasyadko mine accident is the deadliest ever accident in Ukraine, surpassing the Barakova Mine accident in 2000, which killed at least 80 workers. The Zasyadko Mine, Ukraine's largest and most equipped mine, employs 10,000 people and produces up to 10,000 tons of coal per day. Prior to this, four previous major mining accidents at the mine had killed a total of 148 workers combined.

Recurring accidents

Twelve days later, on December 1, 2007, at 5:55 local time another methane explosion happened in the same mine section injuring 52 miners. After this, at 21:20 local time on December 2, another explosion occurred, killing at least 5 workers and injuring 30 more.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zasyadko mine disaster, 2007 Explosions in 2007 2007 mining disasters 2007 in Ukraine Gas explosions Coal mining disasters in Ukraine Explosions in Ukraine History of Donetsk November 2007 events in Europe 2007 disasters in Ukraine

Causes and investigation

Government reaction

Mining accidents trend

Recurring accidents

See also

References