Turkey: 25 killed, several injured in coal mine blast
Turkey, October 15: Turkey coal mine blast: A many as 25 people were killed and several injured in an explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey.
The explosion occurred on Friday at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin at around 6:45 pm.
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Several rescue teams were dispatched to the area, including from neighbouring provinces, Turkey's disaster management agency, AFAD, said.
Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said a preliminary assessment indicated the explosion was likely caused by firedamp — a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is closely monitoring the situation, the Turkish Presidency said on Twitter, reported sources.
"We are facing a truly regretful situation," Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters earlier after urgently flying to the small coal mining town of Amasra on Turkey's Black Sea coast.
"In all, 110 of our brothers were working (underground). Some of them came out on their own, and some of them were rescued."
Soyli also confirmed early reports that nearly 50 miners remained trapped in two separate areas between 300 and 350 metres (985 to 1,150 feet) below ground.
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Earlier, in 2014 Turkey’s worst mine disaster took place in which 301 people died in a fire inside a coal mine in the town of Soma, in western Turkey.
-PTC News
