New Russian Humanitarian Aid Convoy en Route to Donetsk Region – EMERCOM

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry announces that it sent another humanitarian aid convoy for families of victims of the explosition at Donesk coalmine in Ukraine’s east.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia's Emergencies Ministry sent another humanitarian aid convoy for families of victims of the exposition at Donetsk coalmine in eastern Ukraine, a spokesperson of the ministry said Saturday.

"At 4:00 a.m. Moscow time, the Emergencies Ministry convoy departed from the Donskoy rescue center. It is currently heading to the state border," the spokesperson said.

According to him, the humanitarian convoy was formed on an emergency basis on behalf of Russia's President to provide targeted assistance to the families of those killed and injured in the blast at the Zasyadko coalmine.

The convoy consists of over 20 vehicles that will deliver more than 200 [metric] tons of humanitarian aid, mainly food products: flour, condensed milk, sugar, sunflower oil, and medicines.

On Wednesday morning, an explosion apparently sparked by methane gas occurred in the Zasyadko mine, one of Ukraine's biggest coal mines. When the incident took place, 230 workers were underground.

On Friday, the authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) confirmed deaths of 33 People as the rescue operation was complete and all the bodies of the killed in the blast miners were brought to surface. Another 15 injured were hospitalized.