Deadly Coal Mine Fire in Western Turkey
The death toll in a coal mine disaster in western Turkey rose to 238, with 80 more injured, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday after visiting the mine in Soma, southwest of Istanbul.
Erdogan told reporters Wednesday that 120 workers are believed to still be trapped, in what could be Turkey＇s worst ever industrial disaster.
He postponed an international trip and travelled to the mine in the Turkish town of Soma, south of Istanbul, where he met with authorities handling rescue operations as well as with grieving family members.
Nearly 450 miners were rescued, said the mine＇s operator, Soma Komur Isletmeleri.
The United States offered assistance to the Turkish government.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Turkey today in the wake of a coal mine explosion in Soma in which some 200 have been killed and hundreds more remain trapped," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
Carney said Turkey is a close friend and ally of the United States. "We are ready to assist the Turkish government if necessary and we will continue to stand together in this time of tragedy," he said.
According to The Associated Press, violent anti-Erdogan protests erupted in Soma, where the disaster took place, about 480 kilometers southwest of Istanbu.
Reuters is reporting that "Several hundred people chanted ＇Government: resign!＇ at Soma＇s local government building as Erdogan visited the town."
Wire reports say an estimated 200 people briefly protested in front of the mine operator＇s Istanbul headquarters, and that Turkish police "fired tear gas and water cannons" at student protesters in Ankara.
Rescuers are pumping fresh air into the mine as they struggle to get hundreds of trapped miners out. Officials say 787 people were inside the mine when an electrical unit exploded, causing a fire inside the mine in western Manisa province.
Hundreds more are still believed to be trapped in the mine.
“We are heading towards this accident likely being the deadliest ever in Turkey,” Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told reporters at the scene.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has ordered the Manisa governor to mobilize all available resources to help rescue the miners. Rescuers have helped evacuate hundreds of miners so far.
​Prime Minister Erdogan has declared three days of national mourning and he postponed a one-day visit to Albania scheduled for Wednesday.
Yildiz said the fire was still burning underground, which miners said was hampering the rescue operation and denting hopes of finding more survivors. A pall of smoke hung above the area.
The blast happened during a shift change, leading to uncertainty over the exact numbers of miners trapped inside. Yildiz earlier said 787 workers were in the mine at the time and that the death toll may rise further.
“I have to say that our hopes are dimming in terms of the rescue efforts,” he said.
Thousands of family members and co-workers gathered outside the town＇s hospital. Many of the dead had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, Yildiz said.
Some 93 people were rescued, including several rescuers, and 85 of them were being treated for their injuries, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said in an email.
One relative told broadcaster CNN Turk that his 15-year-old nephew was among workers still trapped inside the shaft.
Protests
A cold storage warehouse, usually used for food, and freezer trucks served as makeshift morgues as hospital facilities overflowed. Medical staff intermittently emerged from the hospital to read the names of survivors being treated inside, with families and fellow workers clamoring for information.
Teams of psychiatrists were being pulled together to help counsel the families of victims. Paramilitary police guarded the entrance to the mine to keep distressed relatives at a safe distance from the rescue effort.
There were calls on social media for protests in front of the Istanbul headquarters of Soma Komur Isletmeleri, the operator of the mine. The company said in a brief statement late on Tuesday that there had been “a grave accident” caused by an explosion in a substation but gave few other details.
At Istanbul＇s Taksim Square, two left-wing opposition newspaper vendors read out headlines to silent morning commuters. “Turkey is a graveyard for workers,” and “This wasn＇t an accident, this was negligence.”
Poor record
Turkey＇s coal mines are notoriously dangerous, prompting some in parliament to demand an investigation into poor safety conditions.
The International Labor Organization ranked the EU candidate nation third worst in the world for worker deaths in 2012.
Turkey＇s rapid growth over the past decade has seen a construction boom and a scramble to meet soaring energy demands, with worker safety standards often failing to keep pace.
Its safety record for coal mining has been poor for decades, with its deadliest accident to date in 1992, when a gas blast killed 263 workers in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak.
The Labor Ministry said late on Tuesday its officials had carried out regular inspections at the Soma mine, most recently in March, and that no irregularities had been detected. |
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