Into the Black
This story seems to be getting very little coverage this side of the Atlantic:
The death toll from Sunday's blast at a mine in Ukraine has risen to at least 90, making it the worst mining accident in the nation's history, officials say.
They say 10 miners are still missing in the Zasyadko coal mine in the eastern Donetsk region.
Fires have hindered rescue efforts, and a senior union official has said there is no chance of finding survivors.
Not that there aren't plenty of other stories out there to distract us, but mining disasters usually get more of a reaction, particularly those with large numbers of casualties and ongoing rescue efforts.
Is there any industry with a poorer safety record than mining, I wonder?
One other thing of note.
Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said on Sunday that there had been a cave-in at the accident site.
He also said a safety watchdog had reported that miners were working in accordance with regulations.
"This accident has proven once again that a human is powerless before the nature," Mr Yanukovych said, according to the Associated Press news agency.
But President Yushchenko said the government had "made insufficient efforts to reorganise the mining sector, particularly the implementation of safe mining practices".
Using a disaster to try and push a partisan political agenda. I wonder where they learned that from?
