At least 37 people were reported missing after an explosion ripped through a Ukrainian coal mine, an emergency official said.

Andriy Bondareknko, the regional head of the country's emergency situation ministry, said three people were also injured on Sunday by the blast at the Karl Marx mine in the region of Donetsk.
 
The mine, located in the town of Yenakiyevo, 595km southeast of the Ukrainian capital, had been closed several days before the accident due to safety violations.
 
A ministry statement said the explosion occurred about one kilometre underground at the Karl Marx pit in Donetsk region, heart of the coalfield.
 
Gas explosions are a frequent occurrence in Ukraine's outdated mines, many of which date from the 19th century.
 
Three explosions at the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk late last year killed 106 men in two weeks.

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