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| The Grand Turk |
| 'Revulsion' over Turkey response as mine blast toll tops 300 |
| 2014-05-18 |
| [Al Ahram] Turkish rescue workers were on Saturday battling fires to reach the last two coal miners trapped by the country's worst-ever industrial disaster that has killed 301 workers and led to a surge of anger over the government response. Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said two miners were still thought to be in the collapsed mine, based on information from families, while 485 have either escaped or been rescued since Tuesday's kaboom in the western town of Soma. "We have identified their locations and will end the rescue operation after retrieving them," Yildiz told news hounds in Soma. A fire in a nearby part of the mine complex had hampered rescue operations earlier in the day but had been brought under control, he said. The nationwide trauma over the incident has turned to rage, fuelled by claims of negligence against mine operators and what many see as a heartless response from the government. A preliminary expert report on the accident, obtained by the Milliyet newspaper, pointed to several safety violations in the mine, including a shortage of carbon monoxide detectors used to alert authorities, and ceilings made of wooden planks instead of metal, which caused the fire to spread quickly. The report's authenticity could not be immediately verified. Mine operator Soma Komur on Friday vehemently denied any negligence. "We have all worked very hard. I have not seen such an incident in 20 years," said general director Akin Celik. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi only they haven't dumped him yet... has been the focus of mounting anger for his response, starting with an apparent attempt to downplay the incident by comparing it to mining disasters from 19th century Britannia. There was further outrage on social media after a video emerged of him shouting an anti-Israel slur at a crowd of angry protesters -- and apparently hitting one of them. "Why are you running away, Israeli spawn?" Erdogan is heard yelling at a protester in the footage, which surfaced after one of his advisors was photographed kicking a grieving demonstrator. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Let me guess, the miners mostly Kurds? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2014-05-18 14:12 |