İYİ Party leader criticizes gov't over blast in Amasra mine
ANKARA
İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener said there were indications for a possible accident in the coal mine in the Amasra district of the northern province of Bartın, “as with many mining disasters before,” but necessary precautions were not taken.
“The Court of Accounts warned it and wrote in its report. Labor inspectors warned them many times and imposed administrative fines. Even the miners warned,” Akşener said addressing her party members at the parliament on Oct. 19.
“Despite all these warnings, if you do not take the necessary precautions and wish death on purpose: The name of the disaster is murder, it becomes a massacre,” she stated.
İYİ Party will follow the actions to be taken regarding the responsible persons and will demand an account of our lost miners, she emphasized.
Akşener also criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for talking about “fate” after the mine accident.
“The risk of death in Türkiye is more than 20 times the world average,” Akşener said.
A total of 41 miners were killed in a methane explosion that occurred in an Amasra coal mine, owned by the Turkish State Coal Institution (TTK) on Oct. 14.
Opposition parties point to a report by the Turkish Court of Accounts, a state audit authority, in 2019 that warned of the risks associated with the mine in Amasra.
