Turkey’s worst mining disaster in recent times claims hundreds of lives
Scores of miners were still unaccounted for at the facility in Soma, Manisa
As many as 400 people may have been killed in a coal mine disaster in western Turkey this week.
As Londra Gazete went to press on Wednesday, the country’s prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had confirmed the death toll had risen to 238, with 80 more injured.
But not all the miners known to be working at the site at the time of the explosion have been accounted for and it is feared the death toll could rise dramatically.
Mr Erdoğan said about 120 workers were still thought to be trapped in the mine.
Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said 787 people were inside the coal mine in Soma at the time of the explosion, and 363 of them had been rescued so far.
“Regarding the rescue operation, I can say that our hopes are diminishing,” Mr Yıldız said.
The accident occurred when the workers were preparing for a shift change, officials said, which likely raised the casualty toll because there were more miners inside the mine than usual.
The minister said the fire was still blazing inside the mine, 18 hours after the blast. The air around the mine was still smoky.The deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, Mr Yıldız said.
A rescued miner who emerged alive was whisked away on a stretcher to the cheers of onlookers.
Earlier, the minister said the rescue operations were hindered because the mine had not completely been cleared of gas.
Authorities say the disaster followed an explosion and fire caused by a power distribution unit.
“We fear the number could rise even further because those who came to help out may be among the injured and affected by the smoke,” Mr Yıldız told reporters.
An unnamed security source told Agence France Presse that there were pockets in the mine, one of which was open so rescuers were able to reach the workers. The source said the second pocket was blocked with workers trapped inside.