24 February, 2010 02:57:00

An explosion in a coal mine in Balıkesir leaves 13 dead

image

A coal mine collapse took place last night in the same location as a deadly explosion that took place four years ago. Out of the 46 workers trapped in the collapse, 13 have lost their lives; four are still in critical condition while two are still in life-threatening status.

Yesterday’s methane gas explosion took place in the same Odaköy mine, located in the Dursunbey district of Balikesir, which 17 workers were killed four years ago. The Şentaş mine belongs to businessman Erhan Ortaköylü, the Chairman of the Assembly of the Balıkesir Chamber of Commerce. The disastrous explosion took place at 18:00 last night at approximately 250 meters underground, just as 46 workers had started the night shift. As soon as news of the incident surfaced, a 15-person team from the Balıkesir Emergency Natural Disaster Aid Center as well as a 24-person team from the Zonguldak Mining Association and a 42-person team from Manisa’s Soma all went out to offer assistance. Some miners trapped nearby the entrance of the mine were able to get themselves free; however others had to be assisted by rescue teams. The rescue teams also pulled out a number of dead bodies, while those injured were rushed to the hospital.
  • email Email to a friend
  • print Print version
Rate this article
0