Turkey mine explosion: At least 150 dead and hundreds trapped in Soma facility

At least 150 people have been killed in a coal mine explosion in Turkey, authorities have said.

Disaster teams in Turkey have launched a massive rescue operation at a coal mine in the town of Soma, after an explosion and a fire has left many dead and hundreds more trapped underground.

Turkey’s disaster management agency drastically increased the death toll on Tuesday night from 17 to 151.

According to local media reports the number killed could be even higher. The mayor of Manisa, Cengiz Ergun, told CNN Turk news channel that 157 had perished, citing health officials at the entrance of the mine. Some 600 workers were trapped at the time of the explosion, he added.

A power distribution unit exploded on Tuesday afternoon at a mine in the town 250km (155 miles) south of the capital Istanbul, local official Mehmet Bahattin Atci told reporters.

The blast triggered an electricity outage, making the elevators unusable and leaving hundreds of workers stranded underground.

Source-The Independent