The death toll from a coal mine explosion in northern Turkey has reached 41, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.
There were 110 miners working in the shaft when the explosion occurred Friday evening at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin.
The fire is believed to have been caused by firedamp, which is a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines.
Earlier, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 58 of the 110 people working in the mine when the blast occurred were rescued by the teams or got out by themselves.
Mr Soylu also said one miner was discharged from hospital while 10 were still receiving treatment in Bartin and Istanbul.
“We are faced with a picture that we truly regret, that we regret to have to share (with the public),” he said.
Mr Erdogan was flanked by officials, miners and rescuers, as he vowed to bring an end to mining disasters.
"We don't want to see deficiencies or unnecessary risks," he said, and added that an investigation would reveal those responsible for the blast.
Relatives of the miners, wrapped up against the cold, waited outside the mine overnight, desperate for any news about their loved ones.
A miner who works the day shift said he saw the news and hurried to the site to help with the rescue. "We saw a frightful scene, it cannot be described, it's very sad," said Celal Kara, 40.
"They're all my friends... they all had dreams," the miner of 14 years said after exiting the mine, his face covered in soot.
Ambulances were on standby at the site. Rescue teams were dispatched to the area, including from neighboring provinces, Turkey's disaster management agency, AFAD, said.
Turkey's president was expected to visit Amasra on Saturday.
Turkey's worst mine disaster was in 2014, when 301 people died in a fire inside a coal mine in the town of Soma, in western Turkey.
