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An explosion in a coal mine in the province of Bartin, in northern Turkey, caused a fire and left at least 41 workers dead, President Recep Tayip Erdogan confirmed on October 15, after moving to the affected area. Additionally, rescue teams reported pulling out around 58 miners who were trapped up to 350 meters underground.
Turkey is facing one of the biggest oilfield tragedies in recent years.
110 men were working in a coal mine, belonging to the state company Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises, when an explosion and subsequent fire occurred on Friday, October 13.
At the moment the authorities confirm at least 41 dead miners, after the detonation that left dozens of workers trapped up to 350 meters underground for hours. The events occurred in the province of Bartin, in the mountainous Black Sea region of northern Turkey.
Rescue teams were immediately rushed to the scene to put out the flames, while they focused on rescuing the miners.
The experts advanced during the night while the relatives of those affected gathered worriedly near the sinkhole.
At least 58 of the 110 people who worked in the mine were rescued. Or did they go out on their own? Another 11 were taken to hospital and the condition of one miner was still unknown, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in the early hours of this Saturday, October 15, who traveled to the site to supervise the rescue efforts.
A miner who works the day shift said he saw the news and rushed to the site to help his co-workers. “We saw a horrible scene, it cannot be described, it is very sad (…) They are all my friends, they all had dreams,” said Celal Kara, 40, after leaving the mine with his face covered in ash.
More than 12 hours after the incident, the fire was still visible, Turkish television reported.
“There is still a fire there, the miners and crews have made great sacrifices not to leave their brothers there,” Soylu confirmed at the time.
Hours later, however, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez reported that the fire at the mine was largely contained, but efforts to isolate and cool the fire were continuing.
An explosion of firedamp would have been the cause of the incident
The authorities reported that Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into what happened.
Country officials, including Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez, said initial assessments indicate Friday’s blast inside the state mine was caused by a firedamp explosion.
This is a reference to the combustion of pockets of highly flammable gases trapped in the coal bed.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan moved to the area, after posting on his Twitter account that any negligence would be punished.
The accident revives questions to the Government about safety in the mining industry
This incident at a state facility and in a part of the country traditionally associated with support for Erdogan’s Justice and Development party presents a challenge to the government.
The nation has seen a series of high-profile mining disasters that are fresh in the memory, raising questions about whether the state has done enough to protect workers in a dangerous industry.
The head of a miners’ union told the local media outlet Cumhuriyet that increasing safety measures at mines after disasters strike is insufficient. “The important thing is to value people while they are alive (…) There are mines all over the world, but these disasters always happen in the mines of Turkey,” he remarked, referring to major mining disasters that have impacted his country.
In 2014, 301 workers died of carbon monoxide poisoning and at least 162 others were injured, following a mine fire in the western city of Soma, 350km south of Istanbul.
That event is considered the worst mining disaster in Turkish history to date and caused widespread public outrage, amid questions from families who pointed to insufficient government supervision and lack of security measures at the facilities.
“Prosecutors found that the mining company had been informed, but apparently ignored clear warning signs of dangerous levels of gas (firedamp) and increased heat in the mine, all of which contributed to the deaths,” Human Rights Watch said of that. case.
In addition, the investigators concluded that a second mining incident that occurred that same year, which left 18 dead, had been preventable.
Both incidents prompted widespread demands for better inspections and enforcement of safety procedures. Under pressure, government officials claimed two years ago that mining accidents had been reduced by nearly 60%.
However, a new mining tragedy hits Turkey again.
With Reuters and EFE
