Turkish mine disaster sends blame flying
In the wake of an explosion that killed 41 miners, several Turkish bodies are trading blame for safety failures in the coal industry.
ISTANBUL — The death of 41 miners in an underground explosion in northern Turkey has reopened the debate over workplace safety in the country.
The blast at the state-run Amasra coal mine in the Black Sea province of Bartin has revived memories of Turkey’s worst mining disaster eight years ago, when 301 miners were killed in a fire at a mine in Soma, western Turkey.
Following Friday’s disaster at the mine owned by the state-run Turkish Hard Coal Institution (TTK), opposition politicians produced a report from 2019 warning of risks at the site, where engineers said staff cuts had reduced safety inspections.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments at the disaster site on Saturday also prompted questions about the official approach to industrial accidents. He appeared to characterize the explosion as an act of “fate” and said such events “will always happen.”
