Turkey: Numerous arrests after mining disaster Tuberculosis deaths worldwide have risen by 14 percent

About two weeks after a mining accident in northern Turkey killed 41 people, several senior coal mine workers have been arrested.

Among them are the mine boss, his deputies and a senior engineer, state Anadolu news agency reported. Late Thursday night, a total of 24 people were taken away for alleged responsibility in the accident. A suspect is still being sought.

In view of ongoing investigations, the responsible public prosecutor has announced that digital data carriers and other documents have been seized from the company. In addition, witnesses were heard and a team of experts was sent to investigate the cause.

The disaster happened on October 14 at a coal mine in the northern Turkish province of Bartin, about 300 kilometers northeast of the capital Ankara. Numerous miners were trapped or killed as a result of an explosion at a depth of 300 meters. In addition to the 41 dead, 11 miners were also injured. The condition of some of them is still critical.

It was one of the worst industrial accidents in the country’s recent history. According to the government, it was caused by a mine gas explosion. The plant is one of five state-operated mines in Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the disaster as a stroke of fate, saying such accidents “will happen again and again, no matter what you do”. The opposition CHP party criticized that the workers died not from fate, but from negligence.

Authorities ignored a 2019 Court of Auditors report warning of the risk of a mine gas explosion due to high levels of methane gas in the mine. There would have been many omissions – including the number of workers had been reduced too much and the hazardous gas metering system was not working properly. (cpf/sda/dpa)