Nineteen miners were killed today when fire swept through the shafts of a copper mine in northern Turkey, trapping dozens of workers in a collapsed tunnel.
The blaze, which broke out during welding repairs in the 150-metre deep mine, caused part of the tunnel to collapse in the mine near the town of Kure in the Black Sea province of Kastamonu.
As many as 60 people were at work when the fire began and around 17 17 people were injured, including two rescue workers.
Workers had moved deeper into the mine to escape the smoke that filled the tunnel complicating the rescue effort, officials said.
Rescue workers used fans to ventilate the smoke-filled shafts before the fire was extinguished several hours after it had broken out.
"I spent three terrifying hours underground. I can't express how happy I am to be alive," miner Mr Ali Cinar told the state-run Anatolian news agency after he was rescued.
Familes of workers still huddled near the mine's entrance as night fell. Some complained that many of the miners lacked oxygen masks and other safety equipment.
A lack of investment at some sites in Turkey has been blamed for poor maintenance and shoddy construction that have led to accidents in the past.
Last month a worker was killed in a rockfall at a copper mine, while in March five Chinese labourers died in an explosion at a coal mine in northern Turkey.