Turkey mine death toll 'to hit 300'
The final death toll in the Turkey mine disaster is expected to be around 300, according to the country’s energy minister, who said a maximum of 18 miners still remain underground.
Although he did not spell it out, energy minister Taner Yildiz’s comments suggested that no one else was expected to come out alive from the mine in Soma, western Turkey.
Some 284 miners are known to have died in Turkey’s worst mining disaster.
“We believe that there are no more than 18 people inside the mine,” Mr Yildiz told reporters. He said that was based on reports from families and data provided by the company.
Mr Yildiz said a fire was still burning inside the mine, spreading noxious fumes, but that “it is declining”.
The minister said anyone found to have been negligent about safety at the mine could expect punishment.
He said: “We won’t take any notice of their tears.”
Grieving relatives laid their dead to rest in mass burials on Thursday, with photos of their loved ones pinned to their chests and chanting the names of lost miners.
