VOA标准英语2008年-Ukraine Mine Blast Traps 37 Workers

By Stefan Bos
Budapest
08 June 2008

At least 37 miners in Ukraine were trapped underground following a powerful explosion during maintenance work at a coal mine in the eastern city of Donetsk. Officials say the blast destroyed the main shaft¹ of the mine. Stefan Bos reports for VOA from Budapest.
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Relatives of trapped miners outside the Karl Marx coal mine in Donetsk, Ukraine, 08 Jun 2008

Ukrainian rescue teams are trying to reach dozens of miners who remain trapped about 1,000 meters underground after a blast at the Karl Marx mine in the eastern city of Donetsk.

Officials say at least four other workers above ground have been injured in the explosion, including three women who were taken to hospital with severe burns.

Speaking on Russia Today television, Coal Industry Minister Viktor Poltavets says the explosion occurred during maintenance work at the 110-year-old mine.

"This was a repair job," said Viktor Poltavets. "They were about 37 people there. People were about to leave when the blast occurred at around 5:00 am local time."

Minister Poltavets says rescuers were unable to reach the workers, after unmanned gondolas² got stuck about half way down the mine. But he says rescuers are opening lines of communications with the miners.

Officials say it is difficult to reach them as the main shaft of the mine has been destroyed by the explosion.

The blast is not an isolated³ incident. In November three explosions at another mine killed 106 workers.

Experts say Ukraine has one of the world's most dangerous mining industries, due to outdated⁴ equipment and poor safety standards. The government has begun closing mines due to a high number of fatalities⁵.

Since the collapse of the Soviet⁷ Union in 1991, more than 4,800 miners are believed to have been killed in accidents. Officials say that for every one million tons of coal brought to the surface in Ukraine, three miners lose their lives.

1 shaft   

n.(工具的)柄，杆状物

参考例句：

• He was wounded by a shaft.他被箭击中受伤。
• This is the shaft of a steam engine.这是一个蒸汽机主轴。

2 gondolas   

n.狭长小船( gondola的名词复数 )；货架（一般指商店，例如化妆品店）；吊船工作台

参考例句：

• When the G-Force is in motion, the gondolas turn as well. 当“惊呼狂叫”开始旋转时，平底船也同时旋转。 来自互联网
• Moreton Engineering &Equipment Co. Ltd. -Services include sales tower crane, gondolas, material hoist construction equipment. 山明模型工作室-制作建筑模型，包括售楼模型、规划模型、比赛模型等。 来自互联网

3 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

4 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

5 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

7 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。