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Coal mine explosion kills 40

The number of miners killed in the mining accident in northern Turkey has now risen to 40.

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Coal mine explosion kills 40

The number of miners killed in the mining accident in northern Turkey has now risen to 40. Earlier, 58 miners had managed to get out of the mine unharmed. 28 other people were injured.

The explosion in the coal mine in the northeastern port city of Amasra on the Black Sea occurred on Friday at around 6:15 p.m. local time (5:15 p.m. CEST). According to Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez, "a fire broke out in one of the tunnels after the explosion".

"Our wish is that the loss of life does not get any higher and that our miners can be saved," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter on Friday evening. For Saturday he announced a visit to the scene of the accident.

Energy Minister Dönmez said that according to initial findings, a firedamp explosion occurred in the mine due to the ignition of methane gas. The Turkish civil protection authority Afad initially said that a defective transformer had triggered the explosion. The agency later retracted that statement, saying the mine had ignited for "unknown reasons."

"I don't know what happened," the Turkish news agency Anadolu quoted a miner who was able to leave the pit unharmed on his own. "There was a sudden pressure and I couldn't see anything." Television images showed hundreds of people gathered near the pit entrance, many of them crying.

Local prosecutors said the incident was being treated as an accident and launched an official investigation.

Accidents at work due to disregard of safety rules are common in Turkey, especially in construction and mining. In May 2014, Turkey experienced the worst mining accident in its history. 301 miners died in the accident at the mine in Soma in the west of the country.

The tragedy sparked protests against the government of then Prime Minister Erdogan. Five pit officials were sentenced to prison terms, the maximum being 22 years and six months.

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