As of: February 19, 2024, 3:05 p.m
By: Moritz Bletzinger
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Mine accident in Turkey: Tons of spoil were lost in a landslide in the gold mine near Erzincan.
© DHA/AFP
800 rescue workers are trying to rescue nine workers from the gold mine near Erzincan in Turkey.
A race against time, says Interior Minister Yerlikaya.
Erzincan – They have been stuck underground for seven days.
A landslide has trapped nine workers at a gold mine in Turkey.
Turkish media speak of a mining disaster.
Because cyanide is handled in the mine, the situation for the workers is particularly threatening, and an environmental catastrophe also seems conceivable.
Mining disaster in Turkey: Nine workers trapped in gold mine near Erzincan for seven days
On Tuesday (February 13th) the masses of rubble at the mining area in the village of Çöpler near Erzincan were tackled.
Images on the Turkish TV station
TRT
showed around ten million cubic meters of earth and water flowing down the slope.
Apparently overburden (worn rock) from the gold mine that was poorly secured.
Since then there has been no contact with the missing miners.
The search for them continues on the seventh day.
And the situation is delicate.
“We have to race against time and be very careful,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on
CNN Türk
on Monday (February 19) .
There is a risk of another landslide.
“On the one hand it's about health and safety, on the other hand we have to make the best use of the time.
We strive to work efficiently.
Our biggest goal is to deliver good news as quickly as possible,” Yerlikaya continued.
“Unfortunately, hopes are dwindling by the second”: Race against time in Erzincan
“Unfortunately, hopes are dwindling more and more every second, the losses have made us deeply sad,” said CHP politician Mustafa Sarigül to the
Rudaw
news portal .
He demands that Turkey set up a ministry for natural disasters and earthquakes in order to be better prepared for such situations.
The rescue workers work 24 hours a day, and around 800 people are currently on duty.
The approximately 210,000 square meter area would be divided into eight sections and scanned using magnetic drones, heat seekers and radar devices, reports
TRT
.
However, there is still no trace of the nine buried people.
The mine is basically a big hole.
Cyanide danger around the gold mine near Erzincan (Turkey): Environmental protection organizations speak of “ecocide”
There is also concern about the environment.
The Anagold Madencilik company works with a controversial process.
It uses highly toxic cyanide to dissolve the gold from the rock.
The poisoned tailings could now pollute the region's water if it ends up in the nearby Euphrates River.
Turkey is already struggling with water problems.
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What makes cyanide so toxic?
When it comes into contact with water, cyanide turns into hydrogen cyanide; it prevents red blood cells from binding oxygen in the human body.
The result: a blockage of the respiratory chain.
This “internal suffocation” leads to death within minutes.
The first symptoms of hydrogen cyanide poisoning are cramps, vomiting and loss of consciousness.
Among other things, apricot kernels and bitter almonds can contain cyanide; an amount of 100 milligrams is usually enough to cause poisoning.
Alparslan Bayrakter, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced that no pollution that would pose a threat to human health has been detected in the soil or water.
Environmental organizations have long criticized “wild mining” in the mine near Erzincan.
They talk about “ecocide” and illegal actions.
As the Yeşil newspaper reports, protesters from Istanbul were denied entry to Erzincan on Monday.
They demand: The mine must be closed immediately.
The cyanide is a great danger to the local population and the employees of the gold mining company.
Protests in Istanbul after the Erzincan mining disaster: “Mines are a paradise for bosses, hell for workers and nature,” reads this poster.
© Ozan Kose/AFP
Turkey mining company manager arrested after gold mine accident
Meanwhile, investigations into the accident at the gold mine in Erzincan are ongoing.
As part of which the Turkish manager of the Canadian-based mining company was arrested, Turkish media reports.
Anagold Madencilik announced that eight other employees had also been arrested.
The manager and two employees were released under a travel ban.
They will be questioned before a court in İliç about how the accident happened.
People in Turkey are currently making serious allegations against building contractors in the southeast of the country.
“It wasn’t an accident, it was mass murder,” say those left behind from the earthquake catastrophe around a year ago.
(moe)