Teams roughly locate missing miners in Erzincan

ERZİNCAN

Search teams have detected the locations of the nine missing workers who got trapped in the landslide-hit gold mine in the eastern province of Erzincan, with six of them believed to be at a spot different from the remaining three, the energy minister has informed.

"Intensive search and rescue operations are ongoing. Despite all the challenges, we are executing a vigorous operation here. We will commence a more concentrated entry into the pinpointed locations today," Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told press members during his visit to the region on Feb. 16.

Delineating a transition to a new phase on the third day of search operations, Bayraktar noted that authorities are now carrying out preparation and planning efforts to remove the pile of soil in the zone.

He also stated that they will determine the area where the accumulated soil can be transported in the next couple of days. Bayraktar had previously stated that there is an accumulation of 400,000 truckloads of soil in the region.

Reminding that the tests are regularly carried out on water sources and soil due to the use of cyanide in the mining extraction phase, Bayraktar reminded that so far the teams have not encountered any results that would threaten public health.

The minister also noted that as of Feb. 16, eight individuals in custody related to the incident have been referred to the judiciary, including a foreign executive of the mining company. The American company operating the mine had initially stated that there was no environmental problem caused by cyanide.

Confirming reports of cracks detected in the mining area hours before the incident, leading to the evacuation of miners, Bayraktar mentioned that the nine missing workers went to the area for a check after the evacuation efforts, and the incident occurred at that moment.

With the teams' field work ongoing, experts are utilizing metal-sensitive drones capable of imaging approximately 30 meters below the surface to locate the containers and vehicles believed to contain the trapped workers. In searches conducted with technological devices, metal density was detected in certain areas, prompting teams to intensify their efforts in those regions.