• Fury over worst Turkey mine disaster



















    Protesters clash with police in Soma








    The BBC's Beril Eski says Mr Erdogan antagonised local people in Soma










    Anger has erupted against the Turkish government after a deadly coal mine disaster in the western town of Soma.


    People in Soma hurled abuse as they surrounded PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan's car during his visit to the scene of the tragedy, and protesters clashed with police in Istanbul and Ankara.


    An explosion on Tuesday caused the pit to collapse, killing at least 274.


    The latest rise in the death toll means it is the worst such incident in the country's history.


    Rescuers are still hunting desperately for scores of miners who are missing feared dead, but Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said the mine was still on fire hampering their efforts.


    Nearly 450 workers have been rescued, according to the mine operator, though government officials gave a lower figure of 363.


    However, no survivors have been found since dawn on Wednesday and more than 100 are still thought to be unaccounted for.


    Eighty of those rescued have been treated for injuries, none of which were described as serious.


    'Insensitive' charge

    Local media reports said protesters in Soma kicked Mr Erdogan's car and called for his resignation after he gave a news conference on the disaster.


    He was booed as he emerged from his car. Some arrests were made amid the scuffles and pictures showed the prime minister, surrounded by bodyguards, seeking refuge in a shop. Protesters also attacked the town's ruling AK party offices.


    Meanwhile police in the capital, Ankara, fired tear gas and water cannon at about 800 protesters who tried to march from a university to the energy ministry.




















    Men help a rescued miner after Turkey blast








    Tearful families wait for news









    There were also reports of a protest in Istanbul outside the headquarters of Soma Holding, the company that owns the mine.


    Mr Erdogan has faced criticism on social media for being insensitive, after he cited numerous mining accidents throughout the world, including in Britain in the 19th Century, in defending the Turkish government's record.


    He said every effort would be made to find the missing miners, and promised a full investigation.


    "I just want everybody to know that the disaster will be investigated in every aspect and will continue to be investigated and we are not going to allow any negligence, or leave any stone unturned," he said.


    The BBC's James Reynolds in Soma says Mr Erdogan will see this tragedy as a test of his reputation, and he will be aware that the previous government lost an election after being seen to have mishandled the 1999 earthquake.


    Earlier Mr Erdogan announced three days of mourning for the victims.


    Electrical fault

    Our correspondent says family members of missing miners gathered at the hospital. They told him they would not move from there until they got information about their loved ones.


    Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people had been inside the mine when an electrical fault triggered the blast soon after midday on Tuesday. Many of them died of carbon monoxide poisoning.


    Fires were reportedly still burning in the mine 18 hours after the blast.


    Dogan news agency reported that one of the dead miners, named as Kemal Yildiz, was only 15 years old.


    The electrical fault triggered a power cut, making the mine cages unusable. Those trapped are reported to be 2km (1.2 miles) below the surface and 4km from the mine entrance.



    Map: Turkey mine disaster


    Scuffles and arrests in Soma - 14 MaySome arrests were made as protesters clashed with police in Soma


    Riot police firebombed in Ankara - 14 MayProtesters threw fire bombs at police in Ankara


    Police arrest protester in Ankara - 14 MayPolice responded with tear gas and made arrests


    Protests in Istanbul - 14 MayScuffles have also broken out in Istanbul


    Anxious relatives wait for news of missing miners - 14 MayPeople still waiting for news of missing relatives gathered at the hospital in Soma, Manisa province

    Hours after the explosion, TV footage showed rescuers helping workers from the mine, their faces and hard-hats covered in soot and dust and some on stretchers.


    Only the dead were being recovered by mid-morning on Wednesday.


    Coal mining is a major industry in the Soma area, helping to supply a nearby lignite-fired thermal power plant, but safety has long been a concern. Nearly 40% of Turkey's electricity production depends on coal.


    Turkish mining industry

    1,308

    Fatal accidents since 2000

    • 263 Died in worst mining disaster in 1992

    • 13,000 Miners involved in accidents in 2013

    • 10.4% Of all work-related accidents last year

    AP

    The Soma mine was privatised in 2005.


    An MP with Turkey's opposition CHP party has accused the government of rejecting a recent proposal for a parliamentary inquiry into mine accidents in Soma.


    However, Reuters news agency quoted the Labour Ministry as saying its officials carried out regular inspections at the mine, most recently in March.


    Turkey's worst mining disaster until now was in 1992, when 263 miners were killed near Zonguldak, on the Black Sea.


    Are you in Soma? How have you been affected by the explosion? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, using the subject line 'Turkey'.





    Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.


    Read the terms and conditions






    This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.


    View the original article here

  • Search This Blog

    Random Posts

    Blogger Widgets

    Copyright @ 2014 Hot Headlines.