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Turkey mine explosion: At least 201 dead as rescuers race to free 200 more trapped Turkey coal mine explosion: At least 201 dead as rescuers race to free 200 more trapped
(about 2 hours later)
Rescuers desperately raced against time to reach more than 200 miners trapped underground Wednesday after an explosion and fire at a coal mine in western Turkey killed at least 201 workers, authorities said, in one of the worst mining disasters in Turkish history. Rescuers desperately raced against time to reach hundreds of miners trapped underground after an explosion and fire at a coal mine in western Turkey killed at least 201 workers, authorities said, in one of the worst mining disasters in Turkish history.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people were inside the coal mine in Soma, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Istanbul, at the time of the accident and 363 of them had been rescued so far. Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said the fire was still burning inside the mine in Soma, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) south of Istanbul, over 18 hours after the blast occurred when some 787 people were inside.
At least 80 miners were injured, including four who were in serious condition, Yildiz told reporters in Soma, as he oversaw the rescue operation involving more than 400 rescuers. A rescue operation carried out by more than 400 rescuers has continued overnight to free the hundreds are still trapped inside the mine, while only about 360 miners have been evacuated so far.
The accident occurred when the workers were preparing for a shift change, officials said, which likely raised the casualty toll because there were more miners inside the mine than usual. The Doğan News Agency has reported one of the victims of the disaster was a 15-year-old boy.
Yildiz said the deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and feared the toll could end up much higher than the latest count of 201 workers. Most of the dead suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, Mr Yaldiz claimed. Oxygen is currently being pumped into the mines, where those trapped are reported to be two kilometres below the surface and almost four kilometres from the entrance.
The rescue effort is “reaching a critical stage,” Yildiz said, with more deaths likely as time passes. Mr Yaldiz told reporters that hopes are "dimming" in terms of the rescue effort. "We are worried that this death toll will rise," he said from the scene, where desperate relatives have gathered to wait for news of their loved ones.
Earlier, the minister said the rescue operations were hindered because the mine had not completely been cleared of gas. “Time is working against us. We fear that the numbers could rise further. We have to finish this (rescue operation) by dawn. I have to say that our pain, our trouble could increase.”
At least 80 miners have been injured, including four who were in serious condition, Mr Yildiz added, as he oversaw the rescue operation. A power-cut triggered by an electrical fault has made the mine cages unusable, further complicating rescue efforts.
The accident occurred when the workers were preparing for a shift change, officials said, which has raised the casualty toll because there were more miners inside the mine than usual.
Reuters have reported a cold storage warehouse, usually used for food, and freezer trucks are acting 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 clamouring for information.
Earlier, the Energy minister said the rescue operations were hindered because the mine had not completely been cleared of gas.
Authorities say the disaster followed an explosion and fire caused by a power distribution unit.Authorities say the disaster followed an explosion and fire caused by a power distribution unit.
Nurettin Akcul, a mining trade union leader, told HaberTurk television that Turkey was likely facing its worst mining accident ever.Nurettin Akcul, a mining trade union leader, told HaberTurk television that Turkey was likely facing its worst mining accident ever.
“Time is working against us. We fear that the numbers could rise further,” Yildiz said. “We have to finish this (rescue operation) by dawn. I have to say that our pain, our trouble could increase.” Workers from nearby mines were brought in to help the rescue operation.
Earlier Yildiz said some of the workers were 420 meters (460 yards) deep inside the mine. News reports said the workers could not use lifts to get out of the mine because the explosion had caused a power cut. During the night, people cheered and applauded as some trapped workers emerged from the mine, helped by rescuers, their faces and hard-hats covered in soot.  But dozens of ambulances drove back and forth to carry the rising number of bodies as well as injured workers extracted from the mine.
Workers from nearby mines were brought in to help the rescue operation. One 30-year-old man, who declined to give his name, says he rushed to the scene to try to help find his brother who was still missing early Wednesday with the sun rising over the mine. He said he was able to make it about 150 meters (490 feet) inside before gasses forced him to retreat. With tears in his eyes, he said that there were still fires burning and that the missing workers had been inside too long. A man kisses his son after he was rescued from the mine
“There is no hope,” he said. A man kisses his son after he was rescued from the mine Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has postponed a one-day visit to Albania scheduled for Wednesday and planned to visit Soma instead.
During the night, people cheered and applauded as some trapped workers emerged from the mine, helped by rescuers, their faces and hard-hats covered in soot.  But dozens of ambulances drove back and forth to carry the rising number of bodies as well as injured workers extracted from the mine. Rescue workers were massed at the entrance of the mine on a hillside.
Family members at the scene pleaded for news of their loved ones.
A group of women sat wailing near the entrance to the mine. One of the women, Emine Gulsen, chanted in song, “My son is gone, my Mehmet.” Her son, Mehmet Gulsen, 31, has been working in the mine for five years. He started his shift on Tuesday morning and had not emerged.
Mehmet Gulsen's aunt, Makbule Dag, held out hope. “Inshallah” (God willing), she said.
Police set up fences and stood guard around Soma state hospital to keep the crowds away.
Authorities had earlier said that the blast left between 200 to 300 miners underground and made arrangements to set up a cold storage facility to hold the corpses of miners recovered from the site.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan postponed a one-day visit to Albania scheduled for Wednesday and planned to visit Soma instead.
SOMA Komur Isletmeleri AS, which owns the mine, said the accident occurred despite the “highest safety measures and constant controls” and added that an investigation was being launched.SOMA Komur Isletmeleri AS, which owns the mine, said the accident occurred despite the “highest safety measures and constant controls” and added that an investigation was being launched.
“Our main priority is to get our workers out so that they may be reunited with their loved ones,” the company said in a statement.“Our main priority is to get our workers out so that they may be reunited with their loved ones,” the company said in a statement.
Mining accidents are common in Turkey, which is plagued by poor safety conditions.
Turkey's worst mining disaster was a 1992 gas explosion that killed 263 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.Turkey's worst mining disaster was a 1992 gas explosion that killed 263 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.
Additional reporting by agencies