Prosecutor Demands Probation For Officials Concerning Mine Accident

The Ermenek Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a statement on Friday saying that its prosecutor demands that officials who might have been negligent in Monday's Karaman mine accident that left 18 people trapped underground be put on probation.

According to the statement, the Ermenek prosecutor's demand was approved by a court. The statement said that because the 18 miners are still trapped in the mine and it remains unknown whether they are alive, the possible suspects might be subjected to various other charges in the future. At this point, the prosecutor's office will determine charges upon present information and evidence, the statement said.

The office has already begun receiving testimonies from the miners who survived the tragedy, and it will continue with taking testimonies from the miners who worked on the shift that got off before the accident took place. A final examination of the evidence will be performed by the prosecutor after the rescue efforts are over, according to the statement.

Eighteen miners have been trapped since Monday in a flooded coal mine outside the town of Ermenek in Karaman province, about 110 kilometers (70 miles) north of Turkey's Mediterranean coastline. Rescue teams are still working to save the miners. (Cihan/Today’s Zaman)