Hope fading after mine blast
Print Edition
WOMEN wailed uncontrollably, men knelt sobbing and others just stared in disbelief outside a coal mine in western Turkey as rescue workers removed a steady stream of bodies after an underground explosion and fire that killed at least 238 workers.
The fate of an estimated 120 miners remained unclear yesterday in one of Turkey’s worst mining disasters.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan postponed a foreign trip and visited the mine in Soma, about 250 kilometers south of Istanbul. The deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, officials said.
Erdogan said Tuesday’s incident would be investigated to its “smallest detail” and “no negligence will be ignored.”
He discussed rescue operations with authorities, walked near the entrance of the mine and also comforted two crying women. Earlier, Erdogan declared three days of national mourning, ordering flags to be lowered to half-mast.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people were inside the mine at the time of the explosion and 363 had been rescued. Scores were injured, Yildiz told reporters in Soma, where he was overseeing operations by more than 400 rescuers.
The last worker rescued alive emerged from the mine around dawn, a government official said. As of 3:30pm, it had been about 10 hours since anyone had been brought out alive.
“Regarding the rescue operation, I can say that our hopes are diminishing,” Yildiz said before Erdogan’s visit.
Erdogan said there were an estimated 120 workers still inside the mine.
“Our hope is that, God willing, they will be brought out,” he said. “That is what we are waiting for.”
Tensions were high as hundreds of relatives and miners stood outside the mine. The crowd shouted at officials, including when Yildiz passed by, and some wailed each time a body was brought up. A heavy police presence was in place.
The blast tore through the mine as workers were preparing for a shift change, officials said, which likely raised the casualty toll because there were more miners inside than usual.
Mining accidents are common in Turkey, which is plagued by poor safety conditions. Its worst mining disaster was a 1992 gas explosion that killed 263 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.
In Istanbul, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of the company which owns the mine, Soma Holding. In the capital, Ankara, police dispersed protesters trying to march on the energy ministry.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
