November 20, 2016•Update: November 20, 2016
By Sukru Gunduz, Selman Tur, Recep Celik and Zekeriya Gunes
SIIRT, Turkey
The operating manager of the copper mine where six miners were killed in a collapse has been remanded in custody, the governor’s office said Sunday.
Mehmet Oguz, who works for operator Park Elektrik, appeared in court late Saturday. He is accused of negligence relating to safety regulations.
Five other staff from Park Elektrik and subcontractor Antlar Insaat were released after they were arrested Saturday. Police are still seeking an Antlar manager for questioning.
The sixth victim was recovered Sunday and rescuers are still trying to free 10 miners trapped underground at the Madenkoy copper mine in Sirvan, Siirt province, since late Thursday. The collapse is believed to have been caused by a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall.
A spokesman for the mine said rescuers would attempt to reach a group of four or five miners trapped underground.
Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, who earlier visited the site, said intensive efforts to free the men would continue. He warned that the risk of further landslides remained and were restricting the rescue operation.
A hundred expert engineers and other personnel and 50 construction machines are working around the clock.
“Our priority is to get our citizens out of the ground as soon as possible,” Albayrak said. “We will reveal the main cause of this event.”
According to Park Elektrik's website, the company, which is a member of the Ciner Group, has operated the mine since 2006. An estimated 41.5 million tonnes of copper ore are at the site.
Accidents have beset Turkey’s mining industry in the past. In May 2014, 301 coal miners were killed in the Soma mine in western Turkey -- the country’s worst mining disaster. In October, 18 died in a flood at a coal mine in Ermenek, central Turkey.
