Turkey: Death toll rises to 40 in coal mine explosion, many missing
At least 40 people have been killed and dozens more buried under the rubble after an explosion in a coal mine in Baratin province of northern Turkey.
About 110 people were working in the mine at a depth of 300 meters at the time of the explosion.
Turkey’s Health Minister Fehrtin Kusha said 11 people have been rescued and are being treated.
The rescue workers were trying to reach the victims by removing rocks throughout the night.
Friends and relatives of the missing can also be seen standing near the quarry eager to hear news of their loved ones.
It is believed that the explosion took place at a depth of 300 meters. Some 49 people were working at a “dangerous” depth of 300 to 350 meters, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. Swallow told the media representatives present on the spot that “there are people who we have failed to evacuate.”
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The cause of the blast is still unknown and local authorities have started an investigation.
Turkey’s energy minister said that according to initial indications, the explosion was caused by a fire dump, which is an explosive slurry formed from methane gas in a coal mine.
“We are facing a very sad situation,” he said.
Energy Minister Fateh Doonmuz said that there has been a partial collapse inside the mine, but that there is currently no fire and there is still air flow.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit the site on Saturday.
Amasya Mayor Rishai Shakir said many of the survivors were “severely injured”.
A miner who tried to get out of the mine himself said: ‘There was so much mud and smoke, we don’t know what actually happened.’
The mine is owned by the state company Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises.
The worst coal mine disaster in Turkey’s history occurred in 2014 when an explosion at a mine in the western city of Soma killed 301 people.
