ANKARA
\nAt least 40 people have been killed after an explosion collapsed a coal mine in T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s Bartin province, said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.
\nInitial findings indicate the blast was caused by firedamp, an explosive mixture of flammable gases in mines. (AA)
\nThe death toll in a coal mine explosion in northern T\u00fcrkiye has risen to 40, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu says.
\nAuthorities 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.
\n\u201cWe have counted 40 dead in total. 58 miners were able to save themselves,\u201d Soylu said.
\nDesperate relatives had waited all night in the cold outside the mine in the town of Amasra in Bartin province, hoping for news.
\nAt least 110 miners were working in the shaft when the explosion occurred on Friday evening.
\nEnergy Minister Fatih Donmez said initial findings indicate the blast was caused by firedamp, an explosive mixture of flammable gases in mines.
\nDozens 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.
\nPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan is closely monitoring the situation, the Turkish Presidency wrote on Twitter. He said that search and rescue operations are progressing \u201crapidly\u201d at the mine.
\nErdogan canceled a planned trip to eastern Diyarbakir province and will instead travel to Amasra on Saturday.
\nEleven of the 58 rescued miners are being treated at hospitals, according to Communication Directorate Fahrettin Altun.
\nA miner who works the day shift said he saw the news and hurried to the site to help with the rescue.
\n\u201cWe saw a frightful scene, it cannot be described, it\u2019s very sad,\u201d said Celal Kara, 40. \u201cThey\u2019re all my friends… they all had dreams,\u201d the miner of 14 years said after exiting the mine, his face covered in soot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ANKARA At least 40 people have been killed after an explosion collapsed a coal mine in T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s 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 T\u00fcrkiye has risen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-289498","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n