Representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk people's republic (DPR) have barred 60 Ukrainian rescuers from getting to the Zasiadko coal mine in Donetsk, where an accident happened on Wednesday morning, says Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
“I instructed the State Emergency Situations Service and the Energy Ministry in the morning to send mine rescue teams [to Donetsk] to help pull the miners out from underground so as to overcome the consequences of this accident and save the miners’ lives,” Yatsenyuk said.
“However, Russian terrorists prevented the Ukrainian mine rescue teams from reaching the scene to help save the people’s lives,” Yatsenyuk said at a Cabinet meeting on March 4.
Yatsenyuk called on Russia “to issue instructions and let Ukrainian rescuers reach the scene of the accident.”
Kyiv has sent a total of six rescue teams, each including 10 people, he said.
