Blast shakes Ukraine mine

KIEV, Ukraine -- An explosion Saturday hit the Ukrainian coal mine where 100 workers died in a methane blast in November, the Interfax news agency reported.

At least five miners were seriously injured and another 35 were unaccounted for at the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk, the agency said, citing an unnamed official in the State Industrial Safety Committee.

Twenty other miners were brought to the surface Saturday, the agency reported.

The Nov. 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.