Karl Marx Mine had ignored orders to stop work

According to the information centre of the State Committee on Industrial Safety, on 6 June the mine had been sealed, yet documentation confirms that work at the mine was not suspended. This will be investigated by the prosecutor’s office. At present rescue work is continuing, however there is little hope of finding the remaining 12 miners alive.  24 men were rescued yesterday, and another miner is known to have died.

The fate of the 110-year-old mine is not clear. . Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchynov has not excluded the possibility that the mine will be closed.

However some specialists are against this, pointing out the mine gives high-quality coal.

Despite the disaster, miners and their families are also against closure. There is quite simply nowhere else to work in the town.

Based on information from www.ictv.ua