Turkey's Worst Mining Disaster Takes 301 Lives, Five Charged in Accident

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--As the death toll reached 301 in the May 13 coal-mining accident in Soma, Manisa, public anger continued to grow toward the Turkish government and the owners of the Soma coal mine. The mine accident is the deadliest in Turkey's history, surpassing an explosion that killed 263 miners in Zonguldak in 1992.

According to a televised presser, prosecutors arrested five persons on Monday on charges of negligence in the mining disaster. Prosecutors said the suspects were among 25 people taken into custody.

"Suspects are accused of, at this stage, negligence and contributing to the deaths of more than one person as per article 85/2 of the Turkish Penal Code," said Bekir Sahiner, a Turkish prosecutor in charge of the investigation.

The arrests follow allegations by miners that the company failed to heed safety concerns and that government inspections had been superficial. The 25 people taken to custody included Can Gürkan, the chief executive officer of the Soma Coal Mining Company and the son of the company's owner, Turkish news channels reported.

The owner of Soma Holding, Alp Gürkan, as well as the company's chief operating manager, Ramazan Doğru, are not included in the list of the suspects.

The prosecutor also said that the cause of the fire at the Soma mine was not an explosion in a power distribution unit, as it was announced after the accident. Citing an initial expert record, he said that fire erupted after the oxidation of coal. The entrance of the mine has been closed with a brick wall, after the authorities called for an end to rescue works.

According to mining company officials, there were 787 coal miners underground when the accident happened. The coal mine had been inspected 11 times over the past five years. The Turkish mining company has defended its safety record, and its owner even said he had spent his own money on improving standards at the mine. The mine at Soma was formerly state-run, but was privatized almost a decade ago.

The disaster has provoked anger at a critical time for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as he mulls running in the August presidential election. "Explosions like this in these mines happen all the time," Prime Minister Erdogan said in a press conference in Soma last Wednesday, reading off examples dating back to Victorian-era England.

Hundreds of people took to the streets of major cities in Turkey over the weekend to demand justice for those killed in the disaster. Some carried banners reading: "It's not an accident, it is murder."

Tension over the disaster is only growing, particularly in Soma, where police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters. The police have also cracked down on peaceful protests across the country.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.