Death toll rises to 40 in mine blast in Turkey

The death toll rose to 40 in an underground coal mine explosion in the northern Bartin province of Turkey that trapped 110 workers, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Saturday, reported Xinhua.

The minister confirmed that 110 workers were in the mine when the explosion occurs 300 meters below ground on Friday evening in the town of Amasra.

Among them, 58 later managed to get out on their own, 11 others were injured and hospitalized, and the status of one remaining miner was unclear, he told reporters.

The explosion occurred at 6:15 p.m. local time (1515 GMT) at the Amasra Hard Coal Enterprise, Bartin province said in a statement on Friday.

Preliminary findings indicated that the blast was likely caused by firedamp, said Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez.

The fire in the gallery was largely under control, he said, noting "all search and rescue teams are on duty."

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was traveling to the scene.

In 2014, as many as 301 people died in Türkiye's worst mine disaster in a fire inside a coal mine in Soma town of western Manisa province.