Just before sunset, a devastating explosion occurs in a coal mine in the Turkish port city of Amasra. 49 miners are trapped in tunnels 300 meters underground and below. Apparently the authorities were aware of the danger.
At least 25 people died in a heavy explosion at a coal mine in northern Turkey. This was announced by the governor’s office of the Black Sea province of Bartin at night. Six injured miners were sent to Istanbul for treatment. Dozens of other miners are believed to be trapped underground at the mine in the Black Sea district of Amasra.
Local media reported that mine gas probably exploded about 300 meters below the surface of the earth. Around 150 people are involved in the search and rescue operations. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu spoke late in the evening of 49 miners trapped in two tunnels at a depth of 300 meters and 350 meters. 110 people were in the mine at the time of the explosion. According to the governor’s office, 36 miners were brought to safety from the accident site. The mine is about 300 kilometers northeast of the capital Ankara.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote on Twitter that he would visit the scene of the accident on Saturday to “coordinate” rescue efforts. An investigation into the incident has been launched. The main opposition party, the social-democratic CHP, said the authorities had ignored a 2019 report by the Court of Auditors warning of a risk of a mine gas explosion at the mine. There have been serious mine accidents in Turkey in recent years, partly due to poor safety regulations. In 2014, an explosion at a coal mine in Manisa province in the Aegean region killed a total of 301 people.