KYIV, Aug 3 – Families of 80 miners, killed in the Barakov mine accident, Luhansk region, have thus far not received any of the Hr 7 million and over $53 thousand in compensation, because this money has not been recognized as humanitarian aid, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
The Verkhovna Rada’s Human Rights Ombudsman Nina Karpacheva has requested that Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko officially recognize this aid as humanitarian. This would allow the families to receive these funds without paying taxes on them.
This money was deposited in the accounts of the Krasnodar subsidiary of Oshchadbank as humanitarian aid from citizens, enterprises and establishments of Ukraine, as well as from abroad.
A special supervisory board worked out the terms for distributing this money among the families, but widows and orphans have received nothing to date.
The Barakov mine tragedy occurred on March 11 of this year, killing 80 miners and leaving 35 children fatherless.
Prime Minister Yushchenko heads the governmental commission for investigating the reasons behind the Barakov mine accident.
