KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- An explosion early Saturday shook the coal mine where 100 people died in a methane blast two weeks ago, seriously injuring at least five miners but causing no deaths, officials said.
All 385 people who were underground at the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk at the time of the explosion have been evacuated, said Marina Nikitina, a local officer of Gosgorpromnadzor, the country's industrial safety agency.
The Emergency Situations Ministry said five miners were in intensive care at local hospitals, suffering from smoke and gas inhalation. Three others had injuries of unspecified severity and another 44 had sought medical treatment, the ministry said.
The November 18 blast at Zasyadko was the worst coal-mining disaster in Ukraine's post-Soviet history.
Ukraine's mines are regarded as some of the world's most dangerous, partly because many are in poor repair. In addition, the country's mines typically are more than 3,000 feet deep -- twice the depth of most European coal beds. High levels of methane accumulate at such depths.
Saturday's blast was in an isolated part of the mine where about 65 people were working, Nikitina said.
More than three-quarters of Ukraine's roughly 200 coal mines are classified as dangerous because of high levels of methane. Experts say Ukraine's mines are particularly deep, and methane increases in concentration with depth.
Mines must be ventilated to prevent explosions, but some rely on outdated equipment.
Zasyadko is one of the best-paying mines in the country, with workers typically earning four times Ukraine's average wage of about $260 a month.
But the mine has had several fatal accidents in recent years: 13 people were killed last year in an explosion, 20 in 2002 and 54 in 2001. Since the Soviet collapse, more than 4,700 miners have been killed in Ukraine.
http://us.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/...l?iref=24hours
New blast at mine where 100 died 
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