Section: Metro News (Canada)
Death toll in east Ukraine mine blast reaches 33
DONETSK, Ukraine – Officials in a separatist rebel-held city in east Ukraine say the death toll from an accidental explosion at a coal mine has risen to 33. Alexei Kostrubitsky, head of the emergencies ministry for the rebel government, said late Thursday the last missing miner had been found dead. The blast occurred before dawn Wednesday more...
Death toll in east Ukraine mine blast reaches 32
DONETSK, Ukraine – Officials in a separatist rebel-held city in east Ukraine say the death toll from an accidental explosion at a coal mine has risen to 32. The self-appointed government in Donetsk said in a statement Thursday that one person still remains unaccounted for. The blast occurred before dawn Wednesday more than 1,000 metres (3,200...
Coal mine blast kills at least 24 in war-torn east Ukraine
DONETSK, Ukraine – A rebel-held city scarred by months of conflict in eastern Ukraine suffered more tragedy Wednesday when a methane gas explosion in a coal mine killed at least 24 workers and left nine missing. As rescue efforts stretched past sundown, separatist authorities were accused by Ukraine’s government of failing to do enough to...
Death toll mounts in Ukraine coal mine blast; 17 dead
DONETSK, Ukraine – A methane explosion ripped through a coal mine before dawn Wednesday in war-torn eastern Ukraine, killing at least 17 workers, officials said. Miners arriving for work were enlisted to assist with what started as a rescue mission, but gradually became an operation to retrieve a mounting number of dead. That effort was hampered...
One killed, dozens trapped after coal mine blast in eastern Ukraine
DONETSK, Ukraine – An explosion ripped through a coal mine before dawn Wednesday in war-torn eastern Ukraine, killing at least one miner and trapping more than 30 others underground, rebel and government officials said. One injured miner reported seeing five bodies. The explosion at the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk, an eastern city under separatist...
John Kerry, Russian FM meet in Geneva as Ukraine tensions simmer
GENEVA – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Monday with his Russian counterpart in what appeared to be less than amicable talks amid continuing tensions over Ukraine and American calls for a full probe into the murder of a prominent opposition figure in Moscow. Neither Kerry nor Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov smiled or spoke...
U.N: Death toll in eastern Ukraine passes 6,000
BERLIN – More than 6,000 people have died in eastern Ukraine since the start of the conflict almost a year ago that has led to a “merciless devastation of civilian lives and infrastructure,” the U.N. human rights office said Monday. Hundreds of civilians and military personnel have been killed in recent weeks alone after an upswing in fighting...
Plan for Canadian military police to train Ukraine officers on hold
OTTAWA – A proposal that would see a handful of Canadian military police officers train their Ukrainian counterparts is on hold because of the fighting taking place in the east of that embattled country. The idea was floated late last year by former defence minister Rob Nicholson as the Harper government agreed to expand military co-operation...
Canada considering joining U.S. in training Ukrainian troops
OTTAWA – Canada is considering the idea of joining a U.S.-led mission to train Ukrainian soldiers. Defence Minister Jason Kenney says the Harper government is “certainly open to it,” but emphasized no decision has been made as the federal cabinet considers ways it can be helpful beyond the recent shipments of non-lethal military equipment....
Ukraine: Rebel attacks prevent weapons pullback
KIEV, Ukraine – A Ukrainian military spokesman says continuing attacks from rebels are delaying Ukrainian forces’ pullback of heavy weapons from the front line in the country’s east. Under a peace agreement reached on Feb. 12, both sides are to withdraw their heavy weapons anywhere from 25 to 70 kilometres to create a buffer zone....
