Turkish labor unions on Friday called for an investigation into possible negligence and the adequacy of mine-safety inspections after a collapse at an coal mine in the western district of Soma killed five miners and injured two others, the Bianet news website reported.
The collapse occurred Thursday at a coal mine operated by İmbat Madencilik in Soma, western Manisa province, trapping seven miners. Authorities said Friday that search and rescue crews had recovered the bodies of Halit Ersay, Kerim Ören, Ramazan İnce, İsa Olcay and Ömer Karakaya, ending the search-and-rescue operation.
Two miners were rescued. Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said Friday that one remained hospitalized while the other had completed treatment and been discharged.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the Soma Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had opened a criminal investigation into the collapse and assigned three prosecutors to the case under the coordination of the chief prosecutor.
Arzu Çerkezoğlu, chairwoman of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), said the investigation should examine the entire chain of responsibility, including both the employer and public authorities responsible for inspecting the mine.
Çerkezoğlu called for investigators to determine what safety checks had been carried out in the section where the collapse occurred, whether possible risks had been assessed, whether structural supports and equipment were adequate and whether government inspections had been conducted.
The Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-İŞ) also called for the cause of the collapse and any possible negligence to be investigated, saying risks should be identified in advance and occupational health and safety measures and inspections fully implemented.
The Independent Mine Workers’ Union (Bağımsız Maden-İş), which had representatives at the mine during the rescue operation, said it would monitor efforts to determine the cause of the collapse and identify those responsible. The union later said all five miners who died were its members, including Ramazan İnce, an official with its regional branch.
Özgür Özel, leader of the main opposition New Party, and Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan, co-chairs of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), also called for an investigation, urging authorities to establish the causes of the collapse and determine whether negligence played a role.
No expert report establishing the technical cause of the collapse had been made public as of Friday.
The latest collapse was not the first fatal accident at an İmbat Madencilik operation in Soma. Three workers were killed and another was injured in April 2020 when a section of one of the company’s mines collapsed during maintenance and repair work.
Turkey has experienced a series of deadly industrial disasters over the past two decades, including the 2014 Soma mine disaster, the country’s deadliest industrial accident, in which 301 miners were killed.
Other major incidents include the 2022 Amasra coal mine explosion, which claimed 41 lives, and the 2024 İliç gold mine landslide, in which nine workers were killed.
Labor unions and rights advocates say the disasters have exposed longstanding failures to enforce workplace safety regulations despite repeated promises of reform.
