According to the country’s interior minister, 40 people are now believed to have perished as a result of an explosion in a coal mine in northern Turkey.
Over a dozen individuals were still trapped in the mine, according to Suleyman Soylu’s earlier claim that 58 people had been evacuated.
Nearly half of the 110 persons who were inside the mine at the time of the incident on Friday were more than 300 meters below the surface.
To try to reach more survivors, rescue teams dug through rocks all night long.
At the mine near Amasra, on the Black Sea coast, rescuers can be seen arriving with blackened and sleep-deprived miners.
Awaiting word of their loved ones, the missing relatives and friends could also be seen at the mine.
The explosion is thought to have happened 300 meters or more below the surface. According to Mr. Soylu, 49 employees have been employed in the “risky” area between 300 and 350 meters (985 and 1,150 feet) below ground.
The local prosecutor’s office has started an investigation even though the cause of the explosion is yet unknown.
The explosion may have been caused by firedamp, which is methane generating an explosive mixture in coal mines, according to Turkey’s energy minister.
He added that there were no active flames and that ventilation was operating as it should have been and that there were partial collapses inside the mine.
On Saturday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, is anticipated to go to the location.
Recai Cakir, the mayor of Amasra, claimed that many of the survivors had sustained “severe injuries.”
State-owned Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises is the owner of the mine.
301 persons perished in Turkey’s deadliest coal mining accident in 2014 after an explosion in the western town of Soma.
