Nearly 500 miners trapped in Ukraine

Nearly 500 coal miners in Ukraine's war-torn east have been trapped after their pit lost power when a shell hit a regional electric substation.

The accident occurred on Monday in rebel-controlled Donetsk city's Zasyadko coal mine - one of eastern Europe's largest, where the same type of incident briefly trapped 300 miners on January 11.

"When the power went out, there were 496 miners underground," a Donetsk region emergencies ministry official told AFP by telephone. "Right now, we are making preparations to bring them to safety."