Turkey Mine Tragedy Piles Pressure on Erdogan
The operator of the Turkish mine where an explosion killed at least 284 workers denied charges of negligence on Friday, as the government faced a worsening political backlash from the country's deadliest industrial accident ever.
With the government warning that the toll from the blast in the western town of Soma would likely top 300, Turkey's prime minister faced fresh criticism after video emerged of him apparently shouting an anti-Israel slur at angry protesters during a visit Wednesday to the disaster site.
"Why are you running away, Israeli spawn?" Recep Tayyip Erdogan is heard yelling at a protester in video footage circulated by the opposition Sozcu newspaper that AFP has not authenticated.
The mine tragedy has sparked a wave of fury against the government ahead of August presidential elections which the embattled prime minister had been tipped to win.
Erdogan has denied any government culpability in the face of opposition lawmakers' claims that they raised concerns over safety at the Soma mine in parliament just weeks before the disaster.
But his comment that mining accidents are in "the nature of the business" have sparked furious accusations of indifference to the victims.
Erdogan was booed when he visited the disaster site and had to take refuge in a shop from an angry crowd shouting "prime minister, resign!".
The premier, known for his outbursts of anger, was accused of hitting a relative of one of the dead miners during the visit -- a charge that circulated widely in opposition media despite being denied by his Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Photographs of Erdogan aide Yusuf Yerkel kicking a protester also sparked outrage on social media.
Yerkel later apologized, saying he was "not able to keep my calm in the face of all provocations, insults and attacks".
Mine explosions and cave-ins are a frequent occurrence in Turkey, but Tuesday's disaster -- one of the deadliest in modern history -- has given fresh impetus to public anger against the government after a corruption scandal implicating Erdogan's family and key allies.
Images of police firing tear gas and water cannon at thousands of protesters in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir have also revived memories of nationwide anti-government protests in 2013.
Mine operator Soma Komur, whose general manager is married to an AKP member, on Friday vehemently denied any allegations of negligence.
"There is no negligence on our part," the company's general director Akin Celik told reporters at a press conference.
"We have all worked very hard. I have not seen such an incident in 20 years."
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people were inside the mine when the blast hit, causing a fire that is still raging out of control, with 363 evacuated and 18 still unaccounted for. Most of the victims died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
However, there is widespread skepticism about the government figures, and earlier reports from rescue workers at the scene suggested the toll could be higher.
Soma Komur executives declined to comment on the cause of the accident pending an expert report.
General manager Ramazan Dogru denied allegations that a transformer exploded, saying the disaster was a "coal dust explosion".
There were contradictory accounts as to whether there were any safe room in the mine. Chief executive Alp Gurkan said this was not mandatory.
The disaster has added to the huge political pressure on Erdogan, whose Islamic-rooted party emerged triumphant from March 30 local elections.
"Protests are an indicator of growing polarization in Turkey," said Sinan Ulgen, head of the Istanbul Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies.
"Today they are targeting the mine catastrophe and tomorrow they will be against something else."
Erdogan's government stands accused of failing to heed the warning signs of a possible disaster in Soma, a key center for lignite coal mining that has suffered accidents in the past.
Ozgur Ozel, a local lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said his request to investigate work-related accidents at coalmines in Soma had been turned down by the ruling party in parliament.
The government needs to "demonstrate the political will to comply with EU standards on work health and work safety in order for this catastrophe not to become a political minefield," Ulgen told AFP.
Turkey's ministry of labor and social security said the Soma mine had been inspected eight times in the last four years, most recently on March 17, and was found to comply with safety regulations.
Some banks launched a campaign to clear debts of some miners, while the mine operator pledged to establish a fund to meet education expenses of dead miners' kids.
Source: Agence France Presse
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