245 killed in coal mine blast, many still trapped

10 years ago | Posted in: Turkey, World | 860 Views

Women wailed uncontrollably, men knelt sobbing and others just stared in disbelief outside a coal mine in western Turkey as rescue workers removed a steady stream of bodies Wednesday from an underground explosion and fire that killed at least 245 workers. The fate of an estimated 120 miners remained unclear in one of Turkey’s worst mining disasters.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan postponed a foreign trip and visited the mine in Soma, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Istanbul. The deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, officials said.

Erdoğan said the incident would be investigated to its “smallest detail” and “no negligence will be ignored.” He discussed rescue operations with authorities, walked near the entrance of the mine and also comforted two crying women. Earlier, Erdoğan declared three days of national mourning, ordering flags to be lowered to half-staff.

Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said 787 people were inside the coal mine in Soma at the time of Tuesday’s explosion and 363 of them had been rescued. Scores were injured, Yıldız told reporters in Soma, where he was overseeing operations by more than 400 rescuers.

The last worker rescued alive emerged from the mine around dawn, a government official said on condition of anonymity because she didn’t have prior authorization to speak publicly to journalists about the issue. As of 3:30 p.m., it had been about 10 hours since anyone had been brought out alive… see more

source: todayszaman

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