The president of Turkey reports that a coal mine explosion in the country’s north has resulted in the deaths of 41 people.
After more than 20 hours since Friday’s tragic explosion, the search for the last unaccounted-for body brings the rescue effort to an end. The interior ministry had earlier said that 58 workers who were inside when the explosion occurred were either saved or managed to escape on their own.
Suleyman Soylu said that 10 patients were still being treated at the hospital and one had been discharged.
At the time of the incident on Friday, around 110 individuals were within the mine, with over half of them at a depth of more than 300m (984ft). To try to find survivors, rescue teams have been digging through rocks throughout the night.
The mine at Amasra, on the Black Sea coast, was shown on video footage with miners emerging blackened and groggy-eyed, accompanied by rescuers. At the mine, friends and family of the missing could also be seen waiting for news of their loved ones.
Along with other ministers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been at the site in the province of Bartin, and he has announced that the last person still missing has been found dead.
Authorities stated that Turkish prosecutors have started an inquiry into the explosion’s cause, although early findings suggested that firedamp—a word used to describe methane producing an explosive mixture in coal mines—was to blame.
Around 300 meters deep is where it is said to have happened. According to Mr. Soylu, 49 individuals were working in the “risky” area between 300 and 350 meters down at the time. There were several partial collapses within the mine, but there were no ongoing fires, and the ventilation was working properly, according to Energy Minister Fatih Donmez.
Recai Cakir, the mayor of Amasra, claimed that many of the victims had suffered “severe injuries.” We don’t know precisely what happened, but there was dust and smoke, according to one worker who made it out on his own.
301 persons died in Turkey’s worst coal mining accident in 2014 following an explosion in the western town of Soma.
