As Turkey continues to deal with the aftermath of a landslide on Tuesday that left at least nine workers trapped at a gold mine in eastern Turkey, opposition and civil society actors highlighted repeated past warnings about the safety risks at the mine.
The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) released a statement pointing out that despite a cyanide leak in the past, the mine’s operating licenses were expanded instead of being revoked.
Environmental activist Sedat Cezayirlioğlu warned that the mass of earth contains large amounts of cyanide, which could impact the wider region if it contaminates nearby dams and reservoirs.
The mine in Erzincan was also the subject of political debate, with opposition parties frequently bringing up its environmental impact and questionable safety standards.
In mid-2022 former deputy Hüda Kaya in a written inquiry asked then-minister of environment Murat Kurum about allegations that there had been landslides leading to cyanide leaks into the soil and rivers.
The Kurdish politician is now behind bars, while Kurum has been nominated as a mayoral candidate by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in an attempt to retake İstanbul, the country’s largest city.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) had also brought up the cyanide threat from the mine in parliament, which was ignored by the AKP, according to CHP deputy Mahmut Tanal.
“We had warned the ruling party and officials about the risks of searching for gold with cyanide right next to the [upper] Euphrates River,” said Meral Akşener, leader of the İYİ (Good) Party. “Unfortunately, our warnings were disregarded, and now we’re going through one of the most feared scenarios.”
The landslide occurred around 2:00 p.m. local time (1100 GMT). Anagold, a private company that runs the mine, said it was working to minimize the effects of this “painful” incident, while Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed that nine workers were unaccounted for.
Turkey is prone to deadly landslides and has suffered a string of mining accidents in recent decades.
A methane blast at a coal mine in northwestern Turkey killed 42 people in October 2022.
