DONETSK - At least seven miners were killed in a gas explosion in an eastern Ukrainian coalmine, officials said Friday.

Rescue workers discovered seven bodies in the mine in the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian emergency situations agency said in a statement.

It added that the search continued for two missing miners.

The gas explosion happened early on Thursday 300 metres below surface in a mine in Kirovske, east of the regional capital Donetsk.

The mines in the industrial Donbass region, which includes Donetsk and which has been hit by an armed pro-Russian insurgency in recent months, are notorious for their frequent accidents and low safety standards.