In Turkey, a gold mine collapsed in the province of Erzincan. There is no information on possible victims yet. However, it is known that some of the workers remained under the rubble. This was reported by Turkish media, UNN reported.
Details
According to Turkish media, a landslide occurred around 14:00 in the Ilic district of Erzincan, where the gold mine is located. Interior Minister Ali Erlikaya told reporters that 9 people were trapped under the rubble of the mine.
Unfortunately, there are reports that 9 employees were injured in the landslide.
At the same time, the mayor of the city, Bekir Aksun, noted that there could be more victims.
According to preliminary data, there are 9 people underground. Friends who were there said there were 10-12. I hope there will be no more losses. They will also be rescued. I will be very happy if we rescue everyone.
A search and rescue operation has already been launched at the site of the landslide. Rescuers from AFAD (the equivalent of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service - ed.) from the surrounding provinces were sent to clear the rubble. About 400 people were sent. According to AFAD, residents of several regions were affected by the landslide: Erzincan, Erzurum, Sivas, Rize, Malatya, Giresun, Diyarbakir, Tokat.
"Personnel have been sent from our office and the AFAD provincial office in Tunceli. We are monitoring the situation," the Turkish rescuers said.
In a statement to reporters, Erzincan Governor Hamza Aydogdu said that the blocking of people at the mine was due to a rock slide and denied allegations that the mine had leaked cyanide.
There is no leak at the moment. If there was, we would explain it to you. There is no leakage into the Euphrates River. there was a landslide, so there is no problem except for this landslide.
At the same time, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said that they have already launched a judicial investigation and appointed 4 prosecutors to investigate the circumstances of the incident that left the miners trapped underground.
We are all deeply saddened by the landslide that occurred around 14:30 in a field in the Ilic district of Erzincan province. An investigation into the incident and 4 prosecutors have been appointed. I send my best wishes to our citizens of Erzincan, they are under the rubble. I wish that our brothers miners will be rescued safely.
Turkish Minister of Labor and Social Protection Vedat Işihan also reacted to the situation. In a live interview with TRT News, he noted that he had also instructed labor inspectors and SSI inspectors to investigate the circumstances of the landslide.
Our most important goal now is to safely rescue our employees who are trapped in the rubble. I quickly assigned our labor inspectors and SSI inspectors to the incident. In addition, our Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security, Faruk Özcelik, traveled to the site of the incident in Erzincan.
The President of Turkey is also monitoring the rescue operation. His representative Fahrettin Altun noted that all institutions and organizations are working in full coordination to rescue the miners trapped in the mine.