At least 25 miners killed in explosion at Turkish coal mine, Erdogan speaks out

(Patria) - At least 25 workers have been killed, 17 injured, and dozens more trapped underground after an explosion rocked a coal mine in Turkey's Bartin on Friday evening.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca shared information on his Twitter profile that, based on the latest reports, eight of the injured in the explosion that occurred last night are in critical condition. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) stated that the explosion was caused by a transformer.

At the time of the explosion, there were a total of 110 workers in the mine, said Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. He said that 49 of them are in deeper parts of the mine where the risk is greater.

"The explosion occurred at a depth of 300 meters inside the coal mine in Amasra, a district in the Black Sea province of Bartin. Rescue teams managed to pull out 14 miners, while at least 49 are still trapped," said Bartin Governor Nurtac Arslan.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez immediately headed to the mine after the explosion, following instructions from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan also canceled his scheduled appearance in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir for today and is expected to arrive at the accident site later in the day.

Erdogan spoke out on Twitter

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement on Twitter.

“I wish God's mercy for our brothers who lost their lives in the mine explosion in the Amasra district of our Bartin and express my condolences to their families. I also wish a speedy recovery to our injured brothers. All our institutions are meticulously continuing their work on all matters related to the explosion, especially the search and rescue that began shortly after the incident. Three of our ministers have been dispatched to the region on our orders to carry out and oversee the work on site. I have also canceled my program for Diyarbakir tomorrow and hope to go to Amasra. I will coordinate all work on site,” Erdogan stated.

All health teams and hospitals in the region have been mobilized for the injured brothers, he added.

“In addition to existing facilities, our Ministry of Health has established an emergency unit in the region. Our emergency aircraft are ready for the transfer of our injured. A necessary investigation has been launched regarding the explosion, and our 3 prosecutors have been assigned. The investigation continues in all its dimensions. Only statements from our official institutions regarding this sad event should be taken into account, and malicious content containing provocations and disinformation should not be respected. We hope that the loss of life will not increase further, all our efforts are directed towards saving our miner brothers,” he wrote.