RIYADH-Saudi Arabia has expressed its solidarity with Türkiye over the explosion that occurred in a coal mine in the town of Amasra, north of the country.
Emergency crews and rescue operators gather after a blast in a coal mine in the town of Amasra.(Photo Courtesy-Omer Urer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images).
The Foreign Ministry stated in a statement on Saturday that the Kingdom extends its sincere condolences and sympathy to the victims' families, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.
It also stated that Saudi Arabia hopes that the competent Turkish authorities will be able to rescue the people trapped inside the mine.
The explosion that occurred in a coal mine has resulted in the killing of 40 people, several injuries and leaving many trapped.
Sources said that Amasra's mayor Recai Cakir said many of those who survived had suffered "serious injuries".
Fifteen people are still trapped hundreds of meters inside the mine, located in the Amasra region, on the Black Sea coast. It was reported that 58 miners managed to get out safely.
The cause of the blast is not yet known, but Turkey's energy minister said there were initial indications that the blast was caused by firedamp, which is methane forming an explosive mixture in coalmines.
Turkey's Maden Is mining workers' union attributed the blast to a build-up of methane gas.
Turkey witnessed the largest disaster in its history in the coal mining sector in 2014, as a result of an explosion in a mine in the Soma town, which resulted in the death of 301 miners.
Earlier, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) too expressed solidarity with government of the Republic of Turkiye in the coalmine explosion that killed and injured many and kept others trapped under the debris.
In a statement, the secretariat general of OIC also expressed condolence to the families of the deceased, wishing the injured a speedy recovery and hoping that those trapped under the rubble be safely salvaged. (SG)