Ukraine mine explosion: At least 24 dead and nine missing following methane blast

The blast occurred in a rebel-held area

Ukrainian coal miners load the bodies of colleagues killed in this morning's explosion the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk, Ukraine (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A methane gas explosion in a coal mine has killed at least 24 workers in the rebel-held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

As night fell in a city already scarred by months of conflict, Ukraine's government accused separatist authorities of failing to do enough to save the lives of the miners, amid fears artillery fire caused the blast.

But rebel leaders blamed the incident on the ever-present danger of methane gas, rather than artillery fire.

The explosion occurred before dawn more than 1,000 meters (3,200 feet) underground at the Zasyadko mine in the coal-rich Donbass region.

Some 230 workers were in the mine, and nearly 200 of them were quickly evacuated from the facility. The fate of the others remained unclear.

Rebel officials had said earlier that 32 workers were unaccounted for, suggesting 16 still remained trapped as of the evening. A news agency run by the separatist government reported that 14 people were injured in the accident.

Miners arriving for their morning shift ended up doing most of the work to clear away debris. But reaching the stricken section was complicated because the entrance that was closest to the accident had been shut by the artillery fire that has beset Donetsk.

Mine workers near the Zasyadko mine in Donetsk (EPA) (EPA/VLADIMIR VLADIMIROV)

Contradicting reports of the death toll emerged from the scene, with rebel leaders slow to divulge information and insisting later that one person had died. Meanwhile a senior official in the capital of Kiev said 32 miners had died, only to reduce the figure several hours later.

By nightfall, Yuliana Bedilko, a representative for the rebel-managed rescue services at the site of accident, said another 23 bodies had been located below ground, bringing the overall number of confirmed dead to 24.

A miner who received minor injured told The Associated Press that he alone saw five bodies being pulled out.

A truck later arrived on the scene amid heavy rain to take the bodies away.

An Ukrainian coal miner at Zasyadko mine, where he helped search for bodies of colleagues and clear up debris (AP) (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused rebels of preventing a team of 60 Ukrainian rescuers from reaching the mine to provide assistance - a claim leading rebel representative Denis Pushilin denied.

“If we truly need assistance, we will turn to Russia,” Pushilin was quoted as saying by the rebel-run Donetsk News Agency.

Igor Murygin, a 42-year-old miner being treated for burns covering 20 percent of his body at a hospital in Donetsk, said he was blown off his feet by the explosion.

“When I came to, there was dust everywhere. People were groaning,” said Murygin, adding that the mine had recently installed new equipment and nothing appeared to be out of order, he added.

The mine has a history of deadly accidents, including one in November 2007 that killed 101 workers, and two more the following month that killed a total of 57.

Safety officials say 99 people were killed in Ukraine's coal mines in 2014, with 13 of those deaths directly attributable to the fighting in the east, where mines have frequently been hit in artillery duels.

Nearly a year of bitter fighting by pro-Moscow rebels and Ukrainian troops in the east has killed more than 6,000 people.

Additional reporting by AP