9 Workers Buried Alive After Landslide At Gold Mine In Eastern Turkey
A massive landslide hit a gold mine on Tuesday in eastern Turkey, near the mountainous Erzincan Province at 2:30pm where at least nine workers are trapped in the rubble, according to authorities.
They have not been seen or heard from since the disaster.
"It is thought that they are buried under the ground," Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
Erzincan Mayor Bekir Aksun told broadcaster Haberturk that between 10 and 12 workers were missing. Meanwhile, The Energy Ministry put the number at nine.
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The Associated Press released footage of the incident, taken by a nearby worker.
Yerlikaya told reporters that the Copler mine dislodged 10 million cubic meters of earth across a 200-meter slope, with the missing workers still trapped under the soil. Five of the trapped workers are reported to be in a container, according to the BBC, while three are trapped in a vehicle and one in his truck in a different part of the site.
The incident also stirs concerns surrounding chemical contamination into western Asia's longest river Euphrates.
Geologist Suleyman Pampal stated the buildup of rubble that was processed for gold may contain traces of cyanide.
Spanning about 1,740 miles long, the Euphrates river serves Turkey, Iraq, and Syria, where the people are able to use the water for drinking, agriculture, and animal husbandry.
"Mixing with the Euphrates means the end of all life. It must be prevented urgently from reaching the Euphrates," Pampal said.
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According to Yerlikaya, 400 search and rescue personnel were dispatched to the site as well as staff from surrounding provinces.
The Copler gold mine is no stranger to a long list of complaints.
Opposition parties and various associations have claimed the government has turned a blind eye to the organization's operations. They were even fined up to $1 million for a cyanide waste spill at the same location in 2022.
"Our efforts right now continue to focus on locating our colleagues who are missing and ensuring that all our people are accounted for and safe," SSR Mining Inc. said in a statement.
According to the Environment Ministry, no contamination has been detected for now.
Preliminary water tests show all samples are within normal values at this time.
