Turkish mine blast death toll rises to 41

AFP / Yasin Akgul

The death toll after an explosion in a coal mine in Türkiye's northern Bartin province on Friday has reached 41, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

Earlier, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 58 of the 110 people working in the mine when the blast occurred were rescued by the teams or got out by themselves.

Soylu also said one miner was discharged from the hospital while 10 were still receiving treatment in Bartin and Istanbul.

Authorities said Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into the cause of the incident, but initial indications were that the blast was caused by firedamp, a term referring to methane in coal mines.

Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said a fire in the mine was largely contained, but fire isolation and cooling efforts were continuing after the incident that took place 350 metres (0.2 miles) below ground.

In 2014, 301 workers were killed in Türkiye's worst-ever mining disaster in the western town of Soma, 350 kms (217 miles) south of Istanbul.

More from International News

  • Joe Biden promises peaceful transfer of power

    US President Joe Biden urged Americans to "bring down the temperature" on Thursday following Republican Donald Trump's election victory and sought to console fellow Democrats who were alarmed by the former president's stunning comeback.

  • Israel strikes on Lebanon kill 40 people around Baalbek

    Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed 40 people around the eastern city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley on Wednesday, according to the country's health ministry, while more strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs at dusk.

  • Iran: US elections opportunity to review "wrong approaches"

    US elections are an opportunity to review the "wrong approaches" of the American government, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Thursday according to state media, after Donald Trump won the presidency on Wednesday.

  • Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupts eight times

    Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted eight times on Thursday, spewing a plume of volcanic ash up to 8,000 m (26,250 ft) high, officials said, as the government scrambled to build homes for victims of a big eruption that killed nine.

Blogs