Overview
- The strike that hit the Bilorichenska coal mine Monday cut electricity and trapped 41 workers below ground.
- Leonid Pasechnik, the Moscow-installed head in Luhansk, said a power substation was damaged and the mine lost power.
- Rescuers have established contact with the miners, who have drinking water, and are working to restore power and bring them out.
- Loss of power in deep mines stops ventilation fans, cage lifts, and lighting, which can quickly turn safe tunnels into hazardous spaces.
- Major wire services carried the officials’ statements from Russian-controlled Luhansk, and no independent on-site verification has been reported.