(Archyde.com) – An explosion at a state-run coal mine in northern Turkey’s Barten province has killed 40 people so far, Interior Minister Soru said on Tuesday.
Archyde.com reported that 40 miners were confirmed dead, Suleyman Soylu said today. Eleven people were injured and hospitalized, and 58 others have managed to escape the mine on their own or were rescued. There is still one miner in the mine whose condition is unknown.
The accident, which occurred in the Black Sea seaside town of Amasra at dusk on the 14th, was one of the deadliest industrial safety accidents in Turkey in recent years. At that time, a total of 110 people were working underground, some escaped by themselves and some were rescued. . Television footage showed desperate relatives waiting outside the mine all night for news. Some miners were rescued one following another and taken to hospital on stretchers.
Turkey’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez said that basic rescue operations have been completed, and the interior of the mine is properly ventilated, and some collapsed. He mentioned earlier that the mine where more than a dozen miners were trapped was still burning and work to cool the fire was continuing.
Citing preliminary assessments, Don Metz said the explosion may have been caused by methane, the combustible gas found in coal mines.
Miner Celal Kara, who was on the morning shift, said he rushed to the scene to assist in the rescue following receiving the news. “We saw horrific scenes, indescribable and very sad.”
Cora, who worked in the mine for 14 years, had coal dust on her face. “They’re all my friends… they all have dreams,” he said as he left the scene.
Ambulances were on standby outside the site, and Turkey’s Disaster and Response Management Agency (AFAD) said the explosion was caused by a transformer failure under the mine, and rescue teams had been sent to the scene, including manpower from neighboring provinces.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go to the scene of the accident today.
The Bartin provincial prosecutor’s office said an investigation had been launched into the cause of the explosion. Turkish police said in a statement they would take legal action once morest 12 internet users who allegedly shared provocative content regarding the coal mine explosion and incited hatred on social media.
Turkey suffered its deadliest coal mine accident on record in 2014, when 301 miners were killed in an explosion in the western town of Soma. Central News Agency (translation)
