Turkey: 25 dead, dozens trapped, in a mine explosion

• At least 25 people were killed in a coal mine explosion in northern Turkey.
• Rescuers worked to bring dozens of other trapped victims to the surface.
• TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine, controlled by the government, is located on the Black Sea coast.

Turkish officials said that at least 25 people were killed in a coal mine explosion in northern Turkey while rescuers worked to bring dozens of other trapped victims to the surface.

The TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine, controlled by the government and located near the town of Amasra in the province of Bartin on the Black Sea coast, experienced an explosion on Friday.

According to preliminary analysis, the explosion was probably brought on by firedamp, a term for flammable gases prevalent in coal mines, and 25 people died as a result, according to Energy Minister Fatih Donmez.

According to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, who travelled to Amasra to oversee the rescue effort, there were 110 people in the mine when it erupted. The majority of the employees were able to leave the building after the explosion, but 49 were stuck in a more dangerous region, according to the ministry.

Soylu refused to give the number of those remaining trapped, claiming that some of the 49 had already been rescued.

Turkey’s disaster management organisation, AFAD, reported that numerous rescue teams, including those from neighbouring provinces, were sent to the area.

Erdogan wrote in a tweet, “Our prayer is that the loss of life will not escalate further and that our miners will be found alive.”

“This is where all of our efforts are going.

The explosion happened at 15:15 GMT, 300 metres (985 feet) below the mine’s entrance, according to the Bartin governor’s office.

Governor of Bartin Nurtac Arslan was quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency as claiming that 44 people were trapped 300 metres (984 feet) below the mine’s entrance and five more were stuck 350 metres (1,150 feet) below.

Television photos displayed a large crowd gathered around a damaged white building close to the pit entrance, some of whom had tears in their eyes.

Earlier, the Turkish Maden-Is mining union ascribed the explosion to a buildup of methane gas, but other officials claimed it was too soon to make any conclusions.

A coal mine fire in the western Turkish town of Soma claimed 301 lives in 2014, making it the deadliest mining accident in Turkey’s history.

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