Engineers On Trial For Soma Disaster Receive Promotions

A chief engineer for the inspection branch of Turkish Coal Enterprises (TKİ), Adem Ormanoğlu, and an inspector from the same office, Efkan Kurt, have received promotions despite standing trial in the case of the Soma mining disaster, which resulted in the deaths of 301 miners.

Ormanoğlu now has the most powerful position within TKİ in the Soma region, and Kurt has received authority over two other mines, the Işıklar and Ata Bacası mines, for Soma Coal Mines Inc.

The two defendants face anywhere between two to 15 years in jail for “conscious negligence causing more than one death and several injuries.” They have both pleaded not guilty.

In their interrogation by the court, both men deny any negligence in the disaster. Ormanoğlu said they just carry out in inspections and they do not have any authority or responsibility in terms of job safety; thus, they cannot be held responsible for the disaster at all.

Eight people were arrested in relation to the catastrophic mining accident in Soma. The trial, which involves 46 defendants, is being heard by the Akhisar High Criminal Court.

Prosecutors have charged Soma Holding Chairman Can Gürkan and other seven senior officials from the company with first-degree murder, while prison terms of between 32 months and 20 years are being sought for eight other company employees on charges ranging from homicide to conscious negligence.

On May 13, 2014, Turkey was shocked by an explosion and blaze at a coal mine in Soma, a town in the western province of Manisa. A fire that started in the mine rapidly depleted the oxygen supply in the mineshaft, causing hundreds of miners to die of carbon monoxide poisoning.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)