Women wailed uncontrollably, men knelt sobbing and others just stared in disbelief outside a coal mine in western Turkey as rescue workers removed a steady stream of bodies from an underground explosion and fire that killed at least 238 workers.
The fate of an estimated 120 miners remained unclear in one of Turkey’s worst mining disasters.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan postponed a foreign trip and visited the mine in Soma, about 155 miles south of Istanbul. The deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, officials said.
Mr Erdogan said the incident would be investigated to its “smallest detail” and “no negligence will be ignored”. He discussed rescue operations with the authorities, walked near the entrance of the mine and also comforted two crying women. Earlier, Mr Erdogan declared three days of national mourning, ordering flags to be lowered to half-mast.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people were inside the coal mine in Soma at the time of the explosion and 363 of them had been rescued. Scores were injured, Mr Yildiz told reporters in Soma, where he was overseeing operations by more than 400 rescuers.
The last worker rescued alive emerged from the mine around dawn, a government official said. As of 3.30pm, it had been about 10 hours since anyone had been brought out alive.
“Regarding the rescue operation, I can say that our hopes are diminishing,” Mr Yildiz said before Mr Erdogan’s visit.
Mr Erdogan said there were an estimated 120 workers still inside the mine. “Our hope is that, God willing, they will be brought out,” he said.
Tensions were high as hundreds of relatives and miners stood outside the mine. The crowd shouted at officials, including when Mr Yildiz passed by, and some wailed each time a body was brought up. A heavy police presence was in place around the mine.
The explosion tore through the mine as workers were preparing for a shift change, which likely raised the casualty toll because there were more miners inside than usual.
Mining accidents are common in Turkey, which is plagued by poor safety conditions.
Turkey’s worst mining disaster was a 1992 gas explosion that killed 263 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.
In Istanbul, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of the company which owns the mine, Soma Holding.
In the capital, Ankara, police dispersed a group who tried to march to the energy ministry to protest over the deaths.