Officials: 16 Killed, 10 Missing In Ukraine Mine Blast

KIEV, Ukraine -- A powerful explosion rocked a mine in eastern Ukraine early Friday, killing 16 workers, emergency officials said.

Two workers were hospitalized with burns and emergency officials were working to locate 10 other miners who had worked in the area of the explosion.

The blast hit the Suhodilsk-Eastern mine in the eastern Luhansk region at about 2 a.m. local time Friday at a depth of 915 meters (0.6 miles), the ministry said.

Investigators are working to establish the cause of the explosion.

Ukraine’s coal mines are among the world’s most dangerous due to outdated equipment and poor safety standards.