ANKARA
At least 40 people have been killed after an explosion collapsed a coal mine in Türkiye’s Bartin province, said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.
Initial findings indicate the blast was caused by firedamp, an explosive mixture of flammable gases in mines. (AA)
The death toll in a coal mine explosion in northern Türkiye has risen to 40, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu says.
Authorities had earlier said that efforts were continuing to reach 15 miners who were trapped in the section of the mine where the fire was raging hours after the blast.
“We have counted 40 dead in total. 58 miners were able to save themselves,” Soylu said.
Desperate relatives had waited all night in the cold outside the mine in the town of Amasra in Bartin province, hoping for news.
At least 110 miners were working in the shaft when the explosion occurred on Friday evening.
Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said initial findings indicate the blast was caused by firedamp, an explosive mixture of flammable gases in mines.
Dozens of miners have been trapped underground since around 6:15 pm local time (1515GMT) on Friday, with nearly 150 rescue workers on site as part of rescue operations.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is closely monitoring the situation, the Turkish Presidency wrote on Twitter. He said that search and rescue operations are progressing “rapidly” at the mine.
Erdogan canceled a planned trip to eastern Diyarbakir province and will instead travel to Amasra on Saturday.
Eleven of the 58 rescued miners are being treated at hospitals, according to Communication Directorate Fahrettin Altun.
A miner who works the day shift said he saw the news and hurried to the site to help with the rescue.
“We saw a frightful scene, it cannot be described, it’s very sad,” said Celal Kara, 40. “They’re all my friends… they all had dreams,” the miner of 14 years said after exiting the mine, his face covered in soot.
