A coal mine explosion in northern Turkey on Friday killed at least 41 workers Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.
An explosion occurred at 6:45 p.m. at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin, trapping 110 miners underground at the time.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Saturday that 58 miners got out safely, another 10 miners were hospitalized while one worker was discharged from the hospital.
Soylu said that rescuers worked through the night to pull trapped workers to the surface.
Energy Minister Fatih Donmez stated that while rescue attempts were completed and the mine fire was largely confined, fire isolation and cooling activities were still ongoing.
Donmez said that prosecutors are investigating the cause of the explosion, while preliminary assessments indicate that it was likely caused by firedamp—a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled a planned visit to the southeastern city of Diyarbakir and traveled to Amasra to coordinate the rescue operation.
Several rescue teams, including those from neighboring provinces, rushed to the area, according to Turkey’s disaster management agency AFAD.
“Our hope is that the loss of life does not increase further, that our miners are saved,” Erdogan said in a statement. “All our efforts are geared in that direction.”
Separately, Turkish police said in a statement that legal action would be taken against 12 people who allegedly shared provocative content about the mine explosion on social media.
