Five workers injured in Zonguldak mine collapse discharged

ZONGULDAK

Five of six workers injured in a partial mine collapse in the northern province of Zonguldak have been discharged from the hospital after their treatments were completed, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has announced.

A section of a coal mine collapsed on Sept. 13 in the Armutcuk coal mine owned by the Turkish Hard Coal Institution (TTK), leaving one miner dead and injuring six others.

Authorities clarified that 45-year-old Ramazan Bayram lost his life as he was trapped under the rubble following the collapse.

Though the collapse occurred while 280 miners were on the shift, it affected an area where four of them were working, Governor Osman Hacıbektaşoğlu told reporters.

Hacıbektaşoğlu noted that the collapse occurred 450 meters below the surface, without elaborating the reason of the incident.

A search and rescue team of 250 people participated in the efforts, the governor said. Families rushed to the entrance of the coal mine for news of their loved ones, television footage showed.

"There is no explosion, just a collapse. For now, there is not a situation that would put the entire quarry and business at risk,” he added.

With the five injured workers being discharged from the hospital, the treatment of a worker with serious injuries continues.