Soma survivor dies by electric current in İzmir

MANİSA – Doğan News Agency

CİHAN photo

A man, who survived last year’s Soma mine disaster that claimed 301 miners’ lives through a shift-swap, was killed by an electric current while working as a contractual worker for the Bayraklı District Municipality in the Aegean province of İzmir.

Rahmi Sözüer, 36, died early on Aug. 1, after driving a truck carrying inlay material to the Doğançay construction site of the Bayraklı Municipality, and coming into contact with an electric line.

By wwapping shifts with a coworker, Sözüer survived the country’s deadliest mine disaster in May 2014 in the Soma district of the western province of Manisa.

As he did not want to do mining work after the catastrophe, he started working for the Bayraklı District Municipality Directorate of Social Services as a contractual worker less than a month ago.

Sözüer’s burial ceremony was held in his hometown Soma after his body was medically examined in the İzmir Forensic Institution.

As many as 646 workers died in Turkey during the first five months of 2015, according to a report released June 2 by the Worker Health and Work Safety Assembly (İSGM), a non-profit that deals with worker health and safety issues.

At least 128 workers died in January, 85 in February, 139 in March and 133 in April this year, according to the report.

The report stated 161 workers died in May alone, the highest monthly toll for worker deaths so far this year.