2007 Zasyadko mine disaster
{{Short description|2007 coal mine explosion in Donetsk, Ukraine}}
{{out of date|date=November 2020}}
{{Old news|date=March 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox news event
| title = 2007 Zasyadko mine disaster
| image = Donetsk in Ukraine.svg
| caption = Location of Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine
| date = November 18, 2007
| time =
| place = Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
| coordinates = {{coord|48|04|08|N|37|48|20|E|display=inline,title}}
| cause =
| fatalities = 101
| reported injuries =
}}
Image:Zasyadko.jpg of the Zasyadko coal mine. Local cemetery seen on the foreground is the burial place for most of the victims.]]
Image:Donetsk-Ukraine-map.png (red) and Donetsk Oblast (pink) on the map of Ukraine.]]
The 2007 Zasyadko mine disaster was a mining accident that happened on November 18, 2007 at the Zasyadko coal mine ({{langx|uk|Шахта ім. Засядько}}) in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.
By November 30, 101 miners were reported dead:
{{cite news
|title=Hospitalized miner died
|url=http://www.korrespondent.net/main/218809
|work=Korrespondent
|date=November 30, 2007
|access-date=November 30, 2007
|language=ru}}
the worst accident in Ukraine's history. At the time of the explosion, 457 miners were in the complex.{{cite news|first=Dmitriy |last=Korneychuk |title=Methane blast at the mine of Zasyadko |url=http://pk.kiev.ua/country/2007/11/18/113822.html |work=Gazeta po-Kievskiy |date=November 18, 2007 |access-date=November 19, 2007 |language=ru |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119103725/http://pk.kiev.ua/country/2007/11/18/113822.html |archive-date=November 19, 2007 }}{{cite news|title=Yushchenko goes to Donetsk with a pain in his heart|url=http://www.korrespondent.net/main/217025|work=Korrespondent|date=November 18, 2007|access-date=November 19, 2007|language=ru}}
Causes and investigation
The accident was caused by a methane explosion located more than {{convert|1000|m|ft|0}} below ground level.{{cite news|title=Ukraine's mine death toll rises|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7103086.stm|work=BBC News|date=November 20, 2007|access-date=November 20, 2007}}
The Zasyadko Mine is considered one of the most dangerous coal mines in the world,[http://www.rian.ru/spravka/20071119/88646124.html Шахта им. А.Ф.Засядько в Донецке. Справка] RIA Novosti, November 19, 2007 An independent mining expert recently{{when|date=December 2016}} claimed that the company management, linked to a powerful local clan, interferes with hazard-measuring equipment on a permanent basis, in order to present underground situation as being within the safety standards, and so to prevent production from closure by the government inspectors.[http://1plus1.tv/tsn_news/tsn_archive/?date=2007-11-22 Перша версія трагедії у Донецьку]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (TSN news on Channel 1+1), November 22, 2007 ([http://iplus.com.ua/topnovini/novini/chornahronika/20071122_12455_30186.php video of the report]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}) President Viktor Yushchenko blamed the cabinet for failing to “implement safe mining practices” in the coal industry. A criminal investigation is also underway.{{needs update|date=November 2020}}
Government reaction
Families of the deceased miners will receive compensations totaling ₴100,000,{{cite news|title=The number of killed miners in the Zasyadko mine reaches 63|url=http://www.korrespondent.net/main/217024|work=Korrespondent|date=November 18, 2007|access-date=November 19, 2007|language=ru}} (approx. ${{to USD round|100000|UKR|year=2007|sf=1}} 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.{{cite news|title=Body count reaches 90|url=http://www.korrespondent.net/main/217315|work=Korrespondent|date=November 20, 2007|access-date=November 20, 2007|language=ru}}
On November 19, 2007, President Viktor Yushchenko signed a decree that calls for investigation into Zasyadko mine disaster as well as prevention of such disasters in the future.{{Cite Ukrainian law|type=Presidential decree|number=7014|law=1119/2007|name=On the emergency procedures on resolving the aftermath of the accident at the Zasyadko Mine|date=November 19, 2007}} The President also signed a decree making November 20 a Day of National Mourning.{{cite news|title=Tomorrow- Day of National Mourning|url=http://www.korrespondent.net/main/217173|work=Korrespondent|date=November 19, 2007|access-date=November 19, 2007|language=ru}}
Mining accidents trend
{{wikinews|has=news related to the Zasyadko mine disaster| Ukrainian coal mine explodes, killing 68| Blast in a coal mine in Donetsk, Ukraine}}
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.{{cite news|title=Ukraine mine blast kills 65 |url=http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/071118214718.3sw99p5c.html |work=Agence France-Presse |date=November 18, 2007 |access-date=November 19, 2007 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Prior to this, four previous major mining accidents at the mine had killed a total of 148 workers combined.{{cite news|title=The cause of a Donetsk mine tragedy is announced|url=http://www.korrespondent.net/main/164655|work=Korrespondent|date=September 20, 2006|access-date=November 19, 2007|language=ru}}{{cite news|title=Zasyadko mine. Black chronologies|url=http://www.korrespondent.net/main/217125|work=Korrespondent|date=November 19, 2006|access-date=November 19, 2007|language=ru}}
=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.{{cite news|title=All miners evacuated|url=http://www.korrespondent.net/main/218982|work=Korrespondent|date=December 1, 2007|access-date=December 1, 2007|language=ru}}
After this, at 21:20 local time on December 2, another explosion occurred,{{cite news|title=Another explosion on Zasyadko mine|url=http://www.korrespondent.net/main/219080|work=Korrespondent|date=December 1, 2007|access-date=December 1, 2007|language=ru}} killing at least 5 workers and injuring 30 more.{{cite news|title=The number of killed workers at the Zasyadko mine increased to 5|url=http://www.korrespondent.net/main/219086|work=Korrespondent|date=December 2, 2007|access-date=December 2, 2007|language=ru}}
See also
- 2008 Ukraine coal mine collapse, a gas explosion in June 2008
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zasyadko mine disaster, 2007}}
Category:2007 mining disasters
Category:November 2007 in Ukraine
Category:Gas explosions in Ukraine