4 dead in Turkey copper mine collapse
Labor minister says 12 workers trapped under wreckage as rescue teams work to reach miners
SIIRT, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 18: Relatives of the trapped miner observes the search and rescue process at the disaster site after a landslide that caused a collapse at a private "Madenkoy copper mine" in Turkey's southeastern Siirt Province's Sirvan District on November 18, 2016. Three miners were killed and Thirteen other workers are still thought to be trapped underground after heavy rainfall led to the disaster at the Madenkoy copper mine, the provincial governor’s office said. Also, two bodies have been recovered and the third has been located. ( Zekeriya Güneş - Anadolu Agency )
Ankara
SIIRT, Turkey
Four miners were killed when a landslide caused a collapse at a copper mine in southeast Turkey, Labor Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said Friday.
“Bodies of four of the 16 workers who were trapped underground after a landslide… have been recovered,” he said during a meeting in the western province of Balikesir.
The minister said rescue teams were working to reach 12 miners trapped underground after heavy rainfall led to the disaster at the Madenkoy copper mine in Sirvan, Siirt province.
In a statement, the Siirt governor’s office said search and rescue teams from nearby cities had been asked to join the search.
The private operator, Park Elektrik, had said in a statement that there was a risk of further landslides and production had been “interrupted”.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has been informed about the accident and is receiving updates.
A crisis management center has been established by the governor’s office and an investigation has been launched.
According to Park Elektrik’s website, the company, which is a member of the Ciner Group, has operated the mine since 2006. An estimated 41.5 million tonnes of copper ore are at the site.
Reporting by Seyhan Kirici ;Writing by Tutku Senen, Ilker Girit, Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
