Turkish mine blast’s death toll rises to at least 22

An explosion in a coal mine in Turkey’s northern Bartin province on Friday killed two people and injured 20, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, after local
media reported that 49 were trapped.
The cause of the explosion was unknown, Turkey’s Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) said, retracting an earlier statement the explosion was caused by a transformer.
Media reports said that the explosion could have been caused by firedamp, a name for flammable gas in coal mines.
“According to current information, two citizens died and we have 20 wounded in the explosion that occurred in a coal mine in Bartin,” Koca said on Twitter.
The explosion occurred 300 metres (985 ft) below the entrance of the mine at around 1515 GMT, the Bartin governor’s office said.