Turkey's interior minister, Suleyman Soylu on Friday said that a blast inside a coal mine in northern Turkey has left 14 workers dead.
Interior Minister Soylu said about the mining explosion that took place in Bartin, "110 of our brothers were working there, we had 49 brothers in the risky area, 21 of our brothers were sent to the hospital, unfortunately, 14 of our brothers lost their lives," reported local media TRT HABER.
Fatih Donmez, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, also said that the cause of the explosion was a firedamp explosion, according to initial assessments.
"According to the first evaluations made by our friends, it is that there was a firedamp explosion. In some of them, the mini-rail system, which we call phaetons, works, and in some of them, there is a manual intervention on foot. All search and rescue teams are on duty, we do not have any shortcomings. We are in constant coordination with our friends. Again, I say condolences," said Donmez.
Soylu and Donmez went to the area where the explosion occurred in the mining quarry in the Amasra district of Bartin, reported TRT HABER.
Soylu stated that 14 of the 21 people who were taken to the hospital lost their lives, and said, "7 of our brothers are in the hospital. 3 of our brothers are in intensive care, and all necessary preparations are being made for the transfer of some of the burned ones to Istanbul. First of all, a great struggle is set out below. God help our brothers there. We will share information with you in three different time periods. We ask our citizens not to rely on different information. Our condolences."
The cause of the blast at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin, was under investigation.
Several rescue teams were dispatched to the area, including from neighbouring provinces, Turkey's disaster management agency, AFAD, said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is closely monitoring the situation, the Turkish Presidency said on Twitter, reported Anadolu News agency.
In Turkey's worst mine disaster, a total of 301 people died in 2014 in a fire inside a coal mine in the town of Soma, in western Turkey.
( With inputs from ANI )
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