KIEV, March 4 -- At least 32 people were killed in an explosion early Wednesday at the Zasyadlo mine in eastern Ukraine, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament said.

The emergency ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk people's republic (DPR) said earlier that one person was killed and 14 others were injured in the blast.

But as to the number of miners trapped underground, reports available now are conflicting.

According to the emergency ministry of DPR, over 70 miners were trapped inside and the explosion was a mixture of air and gas.

The Ukrainian Independent Union of Miners said there were 207 people working underground at the time of the incident and 47 miners remain missing.