KIEV, Aug. 31 - Stakhanov coal mine in the Donetsk region was temporarily shut down by the authorities on Friday after a methane explosion several hours earlier injured six coal miners.

The accident happened 986 meters deep underground after the coal miners had tried to install a barricade to insulate an abandoned excavation of the mine, the Emergency Situations Ministry reported Friday.

The explosion destroyed the barricade injuring the miners, the ministry said. The miners were evacuated to the surface and rushed to the hospital.