Eight killed in Turkey mine accident: report

ANKARA: Rescue workers in northern Turkey on Monday recovered the bodies of eight miners believed to have been killed in a methane gas explosion, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported, quoting an official.

Eight workers lost their lives buried in coal dust and one was recovered alive, said Mahmut Ozcelik, deputy director of Turkish coal mining firm TTK.

The details of the accident were not immediately clear. But it is believed to have been triggered by a methane gas blast that ripped through the mine in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak.

Explosions and cave-ins are common in Turkey's mines, particularly in
privately run operations where respect for safety regulations is often minimal.

The worst accident happened in 1992 when 263 workers were killed in a gas explosion in a mine in Zonguldak.