At least 200 dead in Turkey coal mine explosion

A massive explosion at a coal mine in western Turkey has claimed the lives of over 200 workers with the death toll expected to rise.

By Dave Lancaster |

17:06 14 May 2014

Over 200 workers have been confirmed dead after a huge explosion at a coal mine in western Turkey, officials stated.

 

Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that the mine at Soma in Manisa province had 787 people inside when an electrical fault sparked the explosion. Only around 360 (including the dead) had been accounted for.

 

Yildiz stated that hope was fading for the possibility of finding more survivors amid the hundreds who are missing following the blast which struck at about 12:30 GMT on Tuesday. 

 

Carbon monoxide poisoning has been the chief cause of death, Yildiz stated while confirming that oxygen was being fed into the mine to help those who remained trapped. 

 

The electrical fault rendered the mine cages useless, trapping some workers 2km (1.2 miles) below the surface and 4km (2.4 miles) from the safety of the mine entrance. 

 

The explosion happened during a shift change, making it harder to establish how many are missing. 

 

The mine's owners, Soma Komur Isletmeleri, did not question the management of the mine, claiming that they had the "highest safety measures and constant controls".

 

They said: "Our main priority is to get our workers out so that they may be reunited with their loved ones"