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Court Rejects Indictment Against Soma Disaster Suspects

25.11.2014 17:57

The Akhisar High Criminal Court on Tuesday rejected an indictment by a prosecutor implicating 45 people in connection with a mining disaster in Soma that claimed 301 lives on May 13. Commenting on the court's decision, Manisa Bar President Zeynel Balkız said: "We previously stated that the indictment.

The Akhisar High Criminal Court on Tuesday rejected an indictment by a prosecutor implicating 45 people in connection with a mining disaster in Soma that claimed 301 lives on May 13.

Commenting on the court's decision, Manisa Bar President Zeynel Balkız said: "We previously stated that the indictment would be rejected in its current state and pointed out deficiencies in the case file, including a lack of testimony from some of the victims' families and the lack of an expert report from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey [TÜBİTAK]."

According to Balkız, the indictment will be presented to the court again after the shortcomings are addressed.

On May 13 Turkey was shocked by an explosion and blaze at the coal mine in western Manisa province's town of Soma that killed 301 miners and injured scores of others. A fire that started in the mine rapidly depleted oxygen in the shaft, causing hundreds of miners to die of carbon monoxide poisoning. The Turkish nation was shaken by the incident and received condolences from around the world including from the US, Russia, Iran, Qatar and Israel as well as from Greek Cyprus, with which Turkey has no diplomatic ties.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Security came under fire for failing to properly inspect safety measures at the Soma mine, and expert reports pointed to substantial negligence leading to the tragedy. According to the reports, there was no refuge chamber in the mine and the mine operator did not provide workers with functioning gas masks. The reports further noted that the mine's gas sensors had not been inspected, either.

The Soma Coal Mining Company, which had been operating the mine, denied the allegations of negligence. The company admitted that there was no emergency shelter inside the mine but said one had been under construction when the disaster occurred.

Eight people, including a general manager and the chief executive of the mining company, were initially arrested on charges of “causing multiple deaths by negligence.”

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)



 
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