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CNN Sunday Morning

Fire in Ukrainian Coal Mine Kills 33 Miners

Aired July 07, 2002 - 10:20   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now news just coming into CNN here. An underground fire at a coal mine in Ukraine's eastern region has killed 33 miners and injured two others. We are told, though, that 74 miners were rescued from this fire.

We're going to go live to our Ryan Chilcote. He's in Moscow on the phone with us. Ryan, what more can you tell us?

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Kyra. They, in fact, are recovering the bodies of those miners as we speak. Rescuers found the 33 miners in an elevator shaft some 2,000 feet beneath the surface -- just a couple of hours ago.

There were about 100 miners laboring away at 2:00 in the morning when the fire that killed those miners broke out. Survivors made it out to the surface through the mine's ventilation shaft.

Now investigators believe that the fire may have broken out when some coal dust spontaneously ignited on a conveyor belt but generally speaking a lack of appropriate safety measures is what causes these kind of accidents.

Back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ryan, is this an isolated incident?

CHILCOTE: Indeed it is not. This accident however tragic is by no means the worst in Ukraine's mining history.

Ukraine's mining industry has the highest death rate in the world. Even before this accident 116 miners had died this year in Ukrainian mines. An average of 300 to 400 people die in them yearly.

The irony of all of this is that Ukraine's coal mines are big time money-losers. In fact, it would actually be cheaper for Ukraine to import coal than it is for them to mine their own.

And that's why the World Bank has advised Ukraine to close half of its 220 mines. But the government has been slow to do that. It has only closed 35 of its mines.

That's because the coal mining industry employees some 400,000 people in Ukraine and in may cases the mines are the only sources of employment in the towns where they are located. So the government understandably fears the mass unemployment that would be created by closing down the rest of them. Back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Ryan Chilcote live from Moscow. Once again, a fire in a Ukrainian coal mine killing 33 miners.

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