Coal mine explosion kills two and injures five in Turkey

An explosion at a privately owned coal mine in northwestern Turkey killed two miners and injured five others on Friday, Euronews reported. One additional miner remains trapped inside the mine. [1]

According to Euronews, the blast occurred in the town of Gelik. Local authorities stated that the explosion was caused by firedamp, a type of flammable gas. Zonguldak governor Osman Hacibektasoglu said that eight people were inside the tunnel when the explosion happened, and seven were rescued. [1]

Euronews reported that two of the miners died after being taken to a hospital. Two of the rescued miners suffered burns and remain in serious condition. [1]

Coal mining is considered more hazardous than hard rock mining because of the presence of methane gas, flat-lying rock strata, incompetent rock, and coal dust. [6]