Authorities in Turkey have confirmed the death of five miners following yesterday’s cave-in at a mine in the district of Soma in the province of Manisa, in the west of the country, after rescue teams located the bodies of three further workers early this morning who had remained trapped under the rubble.
The mine collapse occurred at around 2.00 pm yesterday (1.00 pm CET) at a mine in the town of Soma, where, just over a decade ago, the worst mining disaster in Turkey’s history claimed the lives of 301 miners. In this incident, a total of seven workers were trapped under the rubble, leading to the immediate deployment of teams from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the fire service and the gendarmerie.
A total of 756 personnel and 76 vehicles from AFAD, the fire brigades, the gendarmerie, the police, UMKE (National Medical Rescue Team), 112 emergency medical services, the Turkish Red Crescent, the Directorate of Family and Social Services, the local council and other rescue teams took part in the operation at the scene of the accident.
Two miners were rescued alive
In the first phase of the operation, rescue teams managed to extract four miners from the affected area; two of them were pronounced dead, whilst the other two were injured and were taken to hospital. According to the latest reports, one of the miners is still receiving treatment, whilst the other was discharged after receiving medical attention.
The search for the other three workers trapped underground continued throughout the night, until early this morning, when the Manisa Governor’s Office confirmed that the bodies of the three workers who remained trapped underground had been recovered, lifeless, and that the search and rescue operations had concluded, reported the news channel Ahaber.
“We have reached the three miners who were trapped under the rubble and who have lost their lives. We ask God for mercy for the souls of the deceased miners and express our condolences and wishes for strength to their bereaved families and colleagues,” the governor of Manisa stated in a press release.
Nine arrested over the mine collapse
The investigation launched following the mine accident in Soma which occurred yesterday – and which has resulted in a final death toll of five workers – has already led to the arrest of nine people, including the managing director of the company responsible for operating the mine.
The local authorities in Turkey are now investigating the extent to which those arrested were responsible for the deaths of the five miners, or whether there was any negligence that led to the mining accident.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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