According to the country’s interior minister, forty people are now believed to have died as a result of an explosion in a coal mine in northern Turkey.
Suleyman Soylu previously stated that 58 people had been rescued from the mine, with over a dozen still trapped.
At the time of the blast on Friday, approximately 110 people were inside the mine, nearly half of whom were more than 300 metres underground.
Throughout the night, rescue workers dug through rock in an attempt to reach more survivors.
Miners emerge from the facility in Amasra, on the Black Sea coast, blackened and bleary-eyed, accompanied by rescuers.
Family and friends of the missing could also be seen at the mine, waiting for word on their loved ones.
“Fifty-eight of our miners were able to escape unscathed.” “We estimate that 15 of our miners are [trapped] below, and we’re attempting to rescue them,” Mr Soylu told reporters on the scene.
The explosion is thought to have happened around 300m down. Mr Soylu stated that 49 people had been working in the “risky” zone between 300 and 350m (985 to 1,150ft) underground.
The cause of the explosion is unknown, and an investigation has been launched by the local prosecutor’s office.
According to Turkey’s energy minister, the blast was caused by firedamp, which is methane forming an explosive mixture in coal mines.
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“We’re in a truly regrettable situation,” he said.
He stated that there were partial collapses inside the mine, but that there were no active fires and that ventilation was working properly.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit the site.
Recai Cakir, the mayor of Amasra, said many of those who survived had “serious injuries.”
“There was dust and smoke, and we don’t know exactly what happened,” said one worker who escaped on his own.
Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises, a state-owned company, owns the mine.
In 2014, 301 people were killed in Turkey’s deadliest coal mining disaster, which occurred in the western town of Soma.
Source: BBC
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