After an explosion in a coal mine in the Bartin region of northern Turkey, at least 28 people are dead and dozens more are still trapped underground.
Nearly half of the 110 persons who were inside the mine at the time of the incident on Friday were more than 300 metres below the surface. According to Turkey’s health minister Fahrettin Koca, 11 individuals have been saved and are receiving medical attention.
To try to reach more survivors, rescue teams dug through rock all night long.
At the mine near Amasra, on the Black Sea coast, rescuers can be seen arriving with blackened and sleep-deprived miners.
Awaiting word of their loved ones, the missing’s relatives and friends could also be seen at the mine.
The explosion is thought to have happened 300 metres or more below the surface. According to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, 49 persons were employed in the “risky” area between 300 and 350 metres (985 and 1,150 feet) below ground. At the site, Mr. Soylu told reporters, “There are others who we were unable to evacuate from that place.”
The local prosecutor’s office has started an investigation even though the cause of the explosion is yet unknown. The explosion may have been caused by firedamp, which is methane generating an explosive mixture in coal mines, according to Turkey’s energy minister.
We are in a really regrettable situation, he declared. He added that there were no active fires and that the ventilation system was functioning well, but that there were partial collapses inside the mine.
