After a huge landslide on Tuesday, authorities estimate that nine miners are currently trapped in the Iliç gold mine in Erzincan (north-east).
Some would be imprisoned in a container, in a car and another in a truck, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, assuring that rescue operations were continuing.
“Our rescue operations continue unceasingly,” he added.
400 rescuers would be mobilized.
🇹🇷The grave of a mina of gold buried various workers in Erzincan (Turquía) pic.twitter.com/qjItt72lOv
— Sepa Más (@Sepa_mass) February 13, 2024
According to Basaran Aksu of the Independent Union of Mineworkers, cyanide fumes and muddy terrain reduce the miners' chances of survival and complicate rescue efforts.
“If a construction machine entered the area, it would sink into the mud.
For rescuers, there is also a risk of chemical suffocation,” he explained;
And added: “This situation considerably reduces the chances of survival of those trapped and makes it difficult for them to escape.
It doesn’t seem possible that we can find them quickly.”
A possible ecological disaster
This mound formed by a pile of earth removed from the mine rolled down Tuesday like a lava flow into a valley in the area, covering a large area.
New images have emerged of a landslide in a gold mine in the Ilıç district of #Erzincan.
In the footage, it was seen that the earthmoving trucks narrowly escaped falling underground.
pic.twitter.com/c01tYhRY6m
— hanady alkhateeb (@hanadyalkhateb) February 14, 2024
Experts say the land may contain cyanide used to extract gold and poses a pollution risk for the region and the Euphrates, the great river that runs through Turkey, Syria and Iraq.
Allah Sizi Kahretsin!#Erzincan #erzincaniliç #Ilic #maden #siyanür #iliç pic.twitter.com/LkhQvvaDLK
— Engin Koyuncu (@EnginnKoyuncu) February 13, 2024
The Ministry of the Environment announced new measures on Wednesday to “prevent materials from flowing into the Euphrates” and affirmed that no pollution has so far been detected in the river.
The investigation will be long
“Not only are our nature and resources being massacred, but also our lives,” and the Iliç gold mine “must be immediately closed,” said the Union of Chambers of Architects and Engineers of Turkey in a statement.
“Millions of tons of toxic waste flow into the Euphrates.
Closing the river floodgates is not enough.
Close the mine,” also reacted the Iliç Environment and Nature Platform.
The Chamber of Mining Engineers of Turkey, for its part, denounced “a chain of negligence” having caused “a major environmental disaster”.
Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, who arrived in the region after cutting short an official visit to Egypt where he accompanied Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the last inspection of the mine took place in August.
“We are investigating the causes of the accident.
It will take time,” he admitted.
Employing 667 miners, the mine had already made headlines in 2022 after a cyanide leak, prompting authorities to briefly suspend operations.
It reopened after paying a fine, which caused an outcry from the opposition.
“Despite the cyanide leak, the mine's permit was not withdrawn and its capacity was increased.
The company benefited from legal protection.
All this has paved the way for disaster,” the Turkish Medical Association criticized on Tuesday.