Coal Mine Explosion in Turkey Leaves 151 Dead, Hundreds Trapped

An explosion and fire at a coal mine in western Turkey killed at least 151 people, government officials said Tuesday.

Approximately 787 miners were underground at the time of the accident, which also injured 76 people, and trapped hundreds, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said, according to the Associated Press. So far, 363 people have been rescued. The mine is located in Soma, a town in the Turkish province of Manisa, around 155 miles south of Istanbul

Most of the deaths were due to carbon-monoxide poisoning, Yildiz said, adding that some miners were 1,378 feet deep inside the mine. Elevators stopped working after the blast caused an electricity outage, stranding the miners underground, Reuters reported. Read more...