Ukraine says 21 more miners found alive

The Ukrainian government said 21 more coal miners had been rescued on Monday after an explosion at a pit, but reporters at the scene said efforts to bring them to the surface were still under way.

A government statement said the 21 miners had all been brought to safety following the blast early on Sunday at the Karl Marx colliery in the Donbass coalfield in eastern Ukraine.

But the reporters at the scene said it would take some time before all the miners could be brought to the surface.

A total of 23 miners have been rescued or found alive since the explosion at the pit northeast of Donetsk, the centre of the coalfield. One miner was found dead and 13 are still missing.

Five workers on the surface were injured in the blast.