Rescue works continue for the coal miners, who are trapped under the rubbles, at the explosion site of a coal mine in Turkiye's northern Bartin province on October 15, 2022. (Photo by Kahraman Bekcili/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Funerals for miners killed in a coal mine explosion in northern Turkey began Saturday as officials raised the death toll to at least 40 people.Desperate relatives had waited all night in the cold outside the state-owned Turkish Hard Coal Enterprise's (TTK) mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin, hoping for news.
There were 110 miners working several hundred meters below ground when the explosion occurred Friday evening.Their wait turned to devastation by Saturday noon.
Women cried at the funeral of miner Selcuk Ayvaz, whose coffin was wrapped in the red and white Turkish flag.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived at the scene after tweeting that any neglect of safety measures would be punished.Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Saturday that 40 miners were confirmed dead.
Eleven were injured and hospitalized, with five in serious condition, while 58 others managed to get out of the mine on their own or were rescued unharmed.