At least 40 people have died as a result of a coal mine explosion in northern Turkey, according to officials.
According to reports, there were 110 miners working in the shaft when the explosion occurred Friday evening.
Suleyman Soylu, the interior minister, announced Saturday that 40 miner deaths had been confirmed. Eleven people suffered injuries and had to be hospitalized, but 58 people were either rescued unharmed or managed to escape the mine on their own. One miner remained, but his condition was unknown.
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Rescue efforts, according to Energy Minister Fatih Donmez, are almost finished.
More than a dozen miners had been trapped in the mine’s gallery, where he had earlier claimed that a fire was still raging. He stated that efforts to contain and cool the fire were ongoing.
Preliminary assessments indicated that the explosion was likely caused by firedamp, which is a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines, Donmez said overnight.
Ambulances were on standby at the site. Rescue teams were dispatched to the area, including from neighbouring provinces, Turkey’s disaster management agency, AFAD, said.
Turkey’s president, Tayyip Erdogan was expected to visit Amasra on Saturday.
