MOSCOW, May 15 (RIA Novosti) – The death toll from Turkey’s worst mining accident has risen to 282, with scores still trapped underground, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
Rescue teams have recovered eight more victims from the Soma coal mine in western Turkey, the report said citing Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz.
Rescue efforts are focusing on two areas inside the mine, where a fire is still blazing and is hindering the operation, he said.
At least 150 other miners remain trapped underground and hopes are fading for finding more survivors.
A total of 787 people were inside the coal mine at the time of Tuesday’s explosion and 363 of them have been rescued, with scores injured.
Soma is 250 kilometers (155 miles) south from Istanbul. The explosion, which occurred about two kilometers (1.2 miles) below the surface, is believed to have been triggered by an electrical fault.
