• The dead toll from an explosion in a coal mine in Turkey’s northern Bartin region has risen to 41.
• 58 of the 110 persons working in the mine were rescued or escaped on their own.
• Preliminary indications suggest that firedamp was the cause of the explosion, officials say.

The dead toll from an explosion in a coal mine in Turkey’s northern Bartin region on Friday has risen to 41, According to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

Earlier, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu stated that 58 of the 110 persons working in the mine at the time of the explosion were rescued or escaped on their own.

Soylu further stated that one miner had been released from the hospital, while ten others were still being treated in Bartin and Istanbul.

Firedamp is a phrase that refers to methane that is found in coal mines. According to the authorities, Turkish prosecutors have begun an inquiry into the cause of the occurrence. However, preliminary indications suggest that firedamp was the cause of the explosion.

After an event that took place 350 metres (0.2 miles) below ground, the Minister of Energy Fatih Donmez stated that a fire that broke out in the mine had been mostly contained, but that efforts to isolate the blaze and cool it down were still ongoing.

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