"The awful scenes I saw after the blast in the coal mine in November 2007 keep coming back to me in nightmares," says Bogdan (*), a rescue worker from Donetsk. “I have worked at the mine all my life, but this is one tragedy I cannot forget”.
On 18 November 2007, a methane explosion ripped through Zasyadko coal mine -- the biggest in Donetsk, the heart of Ukraine’s coal industry. One hundred and one miners were killed and 40 injured. Bogdan and his rescue team went down into the hell-hole to help rescue survivors but only managed to bring 18 bodies to the surface. Most of victims were cremated in the blast.
Two weeks later, Bogdan was again in the mines, trying to stop a dangerous fire from spreading, he was knocked unconscious by a powerful blast. He, and others injured in the blast, were taken to Donetsk Medical-Psychological Centre. Two months after the accident he is still shell-shocked and suffers from multiple injuries. His headaches don’t let him sleep, his eyesight has worsened, and his fingers are numb on both hands.
Yurishares a ward with Bogdanat the Center. He was one of the 75 survivors of a severe mine blast in September 2006 that killed 13 people. More than a year later his family is still emotionally scarred by his nightmares. After the tragedy, Yuri was not able to regain his job. “I have tried to go back to work at the mine" he says, "but when I step into the coalface, my legs won’t move".
The majority of the population in Donetsk region is connected to the coal industry. Mine workers and their families, relatives or neighbours experience harrowing psychological trauma each time a mine accident leads to the loss of loved ones. Zasyadko mine, scene of the recent blast, has a sad reputation: since 1999, 138 people have lost their lives in four separate accidents.
In the aftermath of the accident, the mine administration and local authorities provided support to the relatives but there is no long-term support for the victims, many of whom continue to suffer from psychological problems. Many hidden problems begin to manifest themselves during times of crisis. Widows with children have to confront challenges previously handled by their spouses.
Thus in December 2007, shortly after the disaster, the Ukrainian Red Cross (URC) mobilized resources to provide social and psychological support for the 156 hospitalized miners. They delivered food parcels and some basic medicines. The Red Cross nurses accompanied relatives during the painful procedure of identification in the morgues. They supported people at the ten cemeteries around Donetsk region.
"We did some natural human support,” says Lyudmila Ovsankinna, Head of the regional Red Cross branch in Donetsk. “It was cold and we provided the grieving people with hot tea and food. Without any special knowledge, we did what we felt was important. Professional psychologists working at the site provided counseling on request. At that moment the lack of special training limited our potential to help."
The International Federation immediately responded to the URC in their effort to help the miners. More than 37,000 Swiss francs were allocated from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund. The funds were enough to set up and train a team of psychosocial workers capable of providing long term assistance to victims of the current disaster and be available for future disasters.
"We arrived at the central office of the Zasyadko mine immediately after the explosion to see some 500 people desperately waiting for news about their relatives," says Mikhail Boro, director of the Medical-Psychological Center. “To help just one person out of a serious stress situation we often need several specialists. Both the victims and their relatives suffer from a serious shortage of trained personnel to provide care and support at times of crisis. I am not speaking about medical or psychiatric help, but simple competent care, a kind word, a glass of water - could help avoid many problems in future," argues Professor Boro. "Considering the growing scope of disasters, the state medical services will not cope. A lot could be done by the Red Cross and its trained volunteers in such situations," he adds.
His opinion is shared byLarisa, a psychologist at the Medical-Psychological Center who worked with the miners’ relatives at Zasyadko. "Psychological help is not always done with tests and special methods, but also with active listening and some basic methods of supportive communication. It often happens that traumatized people trust ordinary people more than doctors or psychologists”.
In eastern Ukraine, as in most former Soviet countries, people have a poor understanding of psychological assistance and often people who seek psychological assistance are stigmatized. “Home services traditionally offered by the Red Cross can be enriched by additional knowledge in psychosocial support and solve a lot of long term problems in the affected families,” says Larisa. "Many people simply cannot reach a psychologist. Home visits by the Red Cross staff could help overcome stigma associated with psychological treatment,” she believes.
“Nightmares are typical for post-trauma stress disorder, when the human mind returns to a scene from the past, thus trying to find a better solution,” explains Ruslan, another psychologist at the Center. “Sometimes it takes years to recover.”
To ensure basic knowledge of psycho-social support (PSS) principles and techniques developed by the Federation, a three-day workshop was organized in Donetsk on 28-31 January for the URC staff and volunteers involved in the programme. Some 26 participants from the Donetsk and the neighboring Lugansk region took part in the workshop. Specialists from the Medical-Psychological Center and Red Cross workers shared knowledge and skills in psychosocial support. PSS experience of the Russian Red Cross during recent disasters – such as the Beslan school crisis, and the Kemerovo mine explosion, was presented among other subjects.
“This workshop was very important for us,” said Tatiana, Head of the URC Sviridovo district branch, "The Red Cross workers and volunteers are kind people by nature. What we need is additional knowledge and training of skills in supportive communication with people who survived crises. It will make our services more effective.”
The results of the workshop were immediately put into practice: the participants went out on home visits, organized a psychological support group and started to collect information. The families of the miners who perished, including young widows, bereaved parents and children, will be the focus of Red Cross psychosocial work in the coming months.
(*) Only the first names of some staff and victims have been used, at their request
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Yuri and Bogdan share a ward at the Medical-Psychological Center in Donetsk, Ukraine. They are both survivors of mine explosions and fires, and still feel the emotional scars of these traumatic events. After the tragedy, Yuri was not able to go back to his job. “I have tried to go back to work at the mine" he says, "but when I step into the coalface, my legs won’t move". (p17287)
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Zasyadko coal mine in Donetsk, and, in the forefront, the cemetery. Mine workers and their families, relatives or neighbours, experience harrowing psychological trauma each time a mine accident leads to the loss of loved ones. Zasyadko mine has a sad reputation: since 1999, 138 people have lost their lives in four separate accidents. (p17286)
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On December 28, 2007 - the 40th day of mourning traditionally marked in Ukraine, a special event was organized for the miners and their families at the rehabilitation Centre to commemorate the victims of the November mine blast. It was organized by the Donetsk branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross, together with the Medical-Psychological Center. (p17285)
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Prof. Mikhail Boro, director of the Donetsk Medical-Psychological Center, teaches techniques on how to calm a person in a situation of stress. People often have a poor understanding of psychological assistance and often those who seek it are stigmatized. “Home services traditionally offered by the Red Cross can be enriched by additional knowledge in psychosocial support and solve a lot of long term problems in the affected families,” says Larisa, a psychologist at the Center. (p17288)
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