CNN
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An explosion at a coal mine in northern Turkey has killed at least 40 people and left 11 hospitalized, state media reported Saturday.
The explosion occurred Friday in the Black Sea city of Amasra in Bardin province, trapping dozens of people under the rubble of the blast.
11 injured workers were treated in hospitals, state news agency Anadolu reported, citing a statement from the country’s Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu.
Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez said the fire after the blast was largely under control, Anadolu reported.
Rescuers have been working through the night as the death toll rises, with video footage showing miners emerging black and bleary-eyed.
There were 110 people in the mine at the time of the explosion, said Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu, who went to Amasra to coordinate search and rescue operations.
Officials are yet to determine the cause of the blast.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure the speedy recovery of the injured,” Koca told reporters.
“I wish each of them God’s mercy.”
Turkey has witnessed its worst coal mining disaster ever 2014when 301 people died After a blast in the western city of Soma.
The disaster sparked public anger and dissatisfaction with the government’s response to the tragedy.
