4 accused of causing fatalities in mine
SOMA, Turkey — A Turkish court ordered four suspects to be kept in custody yesterday on a provisional charge of “causing multiple deaths” in last week’s mine disaster, as the last of the 301 victims were buried.
About two dozen other people were detained earlier; several of them have been released but could face prosecution later. Questioning of the others is continuing.
The detentions came five days after a fire sent deadly carbon monoxide coursing through a mine in the western Turkish town of Soma, causing the county’s worst-ever industrial accident.
The disaster has sparked protests across Turkey directed at mine owners accused of ignoring safety for profit, and at Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government, seen as too close to industry bosses and
insensitive in its response.
An initial report on the possible causes of the accident indicated the fire may have been triggered by coal heating up after it came into contact with the air, Prosecutor Bekir Sahiner told reporters outside the Soma courthouse, rejecting reports that a transformer explosion was responsible.
“The crime of which the suspects are accused is causing multiple deaths and injuries due to negligence,” he said.
The prosecutor did not identify the four suspects kept in custody, but media reports said they are the plant manager, two mine engineers and a security official.
Earlier, relatives of those detained joined the crowd of reporters and bystanders outside the courthouse in Soma.
“We know that we have lost 301 loved ones, but we have loved ones inside as well,” said the brother of one of the detained engineers.
Among the others detained were the general manager of the mining company, Soma Madencilik, and the son of the company’s owner.
Erdogan has presided over a decade of rapid economic growth, but workplace-safety standards have failed to keep pace, leaving Turkey with one of the world’s worst industrial accident records.
The plant manager has denied negligence at the mine, which was inspected by state officials every six months.
The rescue operation at the coal mine ended on Saturday after the bodies of the last two workers were carried out. They were buried yesterday.
Mourners cried and prayed beside recently filled graves in Soma. Holding their palms open to the sky, a thousand people said “amen” in unison as a prayer leader recited verses.
As the rescue operation wound up, police put Soma on virtual lockdown, setting up checkpoints and detaining dozens of people to enforce a ban on protests.