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Turkey mine explosion: Death toll 'soars' Turkey mine explosion: Death toll 'soars'
(35 minutes later)
An explosion at a coal mine in western Turkey has left 157 workers dead and 75 injured, local officials say. An explosion at a mine in western Turkey has left 157 workers dead and 75 injured, local officials say.
Cengiz Ergun, Mayor of Manisa, cautioned that the latest death toll had not been officially confirmed. The blast, followed by a fire, occurred at a coal mine in the town of Soma in Manisa province.
Initial reports said 17 people had been killed in the explosion and ensuing fire, and many more were trapped. Giving the latest death toll, the mayor of Manisa city cautioned that it had not been officially confirmed.
It was estimated that 580 workers were underground at the time of the blast, though it is thought many of them managed to escape. An initial official estimate said 17 workers had been killed. Hundreds more are feared trapped underground, though many have reportedly escaped.
It is not clear exactly how many are still trapped in the mine in the town of Soma, in Manisa province, about 250km (150 miles) south of Istanbul. Large crowds of worried family members have gathered near the privately owned mine, about 450km (280 miles) west of the capital Ankara.
Large crowds of worried family members have gathered near the privately-owned mine, many in tears.
Energy Ministry Taner Yildiz told Turkish TV that carbon monoxide poisoning could have claimed lives.Energy Ministry Taner Yildiz told Turkish TV that carbon monoxide poisoning could have claimed lives.
He said that the fire had been triggered by an electrical fault.He said that the fire had been triggered by an electrical fault.
TV footage showed rescuers helping workers from the mine, their faces and hard-hats covered in soot and dust. Some were able to walk but others were carried on stretchers to a fleet of waiting ambulances. TV footage showed rescuers helping workers from the mine, their faces and hard-hats covered in soot and dust. Some were able to walk but others were carried on stretchers to a fleet of waiting ambulances.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has postponed a trip to Albania over the accident and is to visit Soma instead, his office said.
The mine's owners, Soma Komur Isletmeleri, would not confirm casualty figures.
The company said an investigation was being launched but the accident occurred despite the "highest safety measures and constant controls".
"Our main priority is to get our workers out so that they may be reunited with their loved ones," the owners said in a statement.
Analysts say the safety record of Turkey's coal mines lags behind that of most industrial nations.
The country's worst mining disaster was in 1992, when 270 miners were killed near Zonguldak, on the Black Sea.