Dhe number of dead miners after the massive explosion at a Turkish coal mine has risen to at least 40. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu confirmed this to journalists on Saturday at the site of the state-run mine in Bartin province on the Black Sea. Accordingly, a miner was still missing. Eleven others suffered injuries in the explosion at a depth of about 300 meters. 58 other miners were rescued, Soylu said. He said there were 110 workers at the mine at around 6:15 p.m. Friday night when the explosion occurred.
Rescue workers from the Red Crescent aid organization and civil protection were about to end their search on Saturday morning. Energy Minister Fatih Donmez had to hold back tears when he said at the scene of the accident that a worker was still missing.
Dönmez had previously stated that mine gas had probably exploded in the mine, which is located 300 kilometers northeast of the capital Ankara. The exact cause was still unclear. Smoke rose from the mine on Saturday. It is assumed that it will continue to burn, reported the TV station NTV.
Miner helps with the rescue himself
“Everything collapsed with a huge explosion, I was just able to escape,” miner Aydın Kalaycı described the dramatic moments in the mine for the private news agency Demirören. “We were dragging the dead bodies of our colleagues,” said another worker, his face blackened by the smoke.
TV cameras also showed a rescued miner late Friday night who refused to be taken to hospital. “Leave me, I’m fine, I want to go back,” he said and after a short treatment joined the rescue teams, as recordings by the HaberTürk broadcaster showed. Some of the seriously injured were taken to hospitals in Istanbul and Ankara, state media reported. TV channels also showed some worried family members of the workers crying outside the hospital in Bartın, some 15 kilometers from the mine.
Mining accidents happen again and again
The mine is one of five state-run coal mines in Turkey alongside a number of privately owned mines. There have been several serious mine accidents in the country in recent years, partly due to poor safety regulations. In 2014, an explosion at a coal mine in Manisa province in the Aegean region killed a total of 301 people.
The main opposition party, the Social Democrat CHP, said the authorities had ignored a 2019 report by the Court of Auditors warning of a risk of a mine gas explosion at the mine.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who had recently exchanged harsh blows with Erdogan over various political differences, tweeted his condolences. “Sad to hear about the horrific mine explosion and loss of life in Bartin province in Türkiye. Greece stands ready to send aid immediately to help find survivors.” The heads of state of Azerbaijan and Pakistan also expressed their condolences.
