People Killed and Injured After Mine Explosion in Northern Turkey
It was reported that 41 people died from the explosion on Friday.
- By Alex Saurman
- Oct 18, 2022
An explosion in a northern Turkey coal mine took the lives of 41 people on Friday, multiple new sites reported.
According to Thomson Reuters, the explosion happened at around 300 to 350 meters, or about 984 to 1,148 feet, below the surface at the Amasra mine in Amasra, Turkey.
Of the 110 people in the mine, 41 died, 11 were hospitalized, with one being discharged on Saturday, and 58 “were rescued or got out by themselves,” the BBC reported.
The BBC also said "initial indications" show the cause of the deathly incident to be “firedamp, a term referring to methane forming an explosive mixture in coal mines," though an investigation is underway.
“The administrative and judicial investigation will reveal what caused the blast and who, if anyone, is responsible. These multi-pronged investigations have already been initiated,” said President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a speech. "As in every other issue, we put human first in business life as well. Any activity in which human life is not safe is not credible for us. In this spirit, it is of course unforgiveable for us that accidents with significant death tolls continue to take place at our mines. We don’t want to see any deficiencies or unnecessary risks at our mines.”
In 2014, 301 people lost their lives when a mine in western Turkey had a fire, Reuters reported.