Dozens feared dead in Ukraine mine explosion

It was five twenty in the morning at the Zasyadko coal mine in eastern Ukraine when every miner's worst nightmare became real.

An explosion more than 1200 metres below the surface has killed at least ten people. More than 20 others are still missing.

The Zasyadko mine is in Ukraine's industrial heartland, in the rebel-held eastern city of Donetsk. It's been the scene of fierce fighting in recent months between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels.

And the Ukrainian prime minister, Arseniy Yatseniuk, claimed the rebels were preventing Ukrainian rescuers gaining access to the site.

The mine is located in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.

One man who's actually been down it is Olexiy Solohubenko, news editor for languages at the BBC World Services. He's also Ukrainian, and told us more about the Zasyadko mine.