Hopes fade for 18 miners trapped after Turkish coal mine collapses

Hopes were fading tonight that 18 miners who were trapped in a flooded coal mine in southern Turkey would be rescued.

Rescue teams, including divers, continued their work at the mine outside of the town of Ermenek in Karaman province, about 110km north of Turkey’s Mediterranean coastline.

It was the second major industrial accident at a Turkish mine in six months. Turkey’s deadliest disaster occurred in May in the western town of Soma, where 301 miners were killed, sparking a national outcry over the country’s shoddy worker safety record. Hundreds of labourers die every year.

Energy minister Taner Yildiz told reporters in comments broadcast live that the level of the water that had flooded the mine had now surpassed the area where the miners were situated.

“Water is rising one metre every two hours . . . Time is working against us,” said Mr Yildiz, adding 34 people were working below ground at the time of the flood. The source of the water was unclear, Mr Yildiz said. – (Reuters)