Blast at Turkish coal mine leaves 2 dead
Ankara, Oct 14 (EFE).- Two miners were killed and 20 others injured Friday in an explosion at a coal mine in the northern town of Amasra, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.
At least 12 of the 47 miners inside the shaft at the time of the blast managed to get out safe and sound, the union representing mine employees said.
The explosion occurred around 6:15 pm at a depth of 300 m (984 ft), according to a statement from the office of Nurtac Arslan, governor of the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin, who rushed to the mine to oversee rescue operations.
She informed reporters at the scene that 49 of the 100 miners working when the explosion took place were in the affected segment of the shaft.
“We don’t know anything. There was dust and smoke, we couldn’t seen what happened. I got out under my own power,” one miner told NTV television. “Those of us who were somewhat far away felt the pressure of the explosion, but we couldn’t see anything.”
Unions blame the all-too-frequent accidents at Turkey’s coal mines on the lax safety measures that prevail in the largely unregulated industry.
An electrical explosion in May 2014 at a mine in the western province of Manisa claimed the lives of 301 miners. EFE iut-DT/dr
