Turkey: 18 Miners Remain Trapped İnside Flooded Mine

Rescue efforts continue on the third day in which 18 workers remain trapped in a flooded mine in the central Turkish province of Karaman.



"Mine accidents are hurting us a lot. We hope to reach the trapped miners as soon as possible, our prayers are with them," Turkey's EU Minister Volkan Bozkir said in a press conference on Thursday. 



Energy Minister Taner Yildiz and Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Lutfi Elvan remain on the spot to monitor the situation.



 Instead of placing blame for the mine accidents, Turkey should put an effort "all together" to prevent the disasters from happening, Bozkir said.



 Bozkir said there is no "abnormality" with Turkish legislation on mine working conditions, and that it is harmonized with EU standards.



Turkey passed the Occupational Health and Safety bill in 2012 and launched regulation of Health and Safety in Workplaces in 2013 as part of  the EU "acquis," or harmonized leglslation.



"But the change should be in minds," Bozkir said. "The most important aspect about this is education."



 Along with social actors, political actors also have a great responsibility on this issue, Bozkir explained.



"Political actors are supposed to ratify bills and control their implementation," he said.



Turkey ranks first in Europe and third in the world for fatal work accidents, according to International Labor Organization figures. The organization says 18 insured laborers out of 100,000 die every year in Turkey in work accidents, a number seven times greater than the EU average of 2.5.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Ankara