An explosion at a coal mine in Turkey’s northern province of Barat has killed at least 28 people and trapped dozens underground.
About 110 people were in the mine at the time of Friday’s explosion, about half of them more than 300 meters deep.
Turkish Health Minister Farahtin Koca said 11 people have been rescued and are being treated.
Emergency crews worked through the night, digging through the rock to try to reach more survivors.
Video footage shows black and teary-eyed miners emerging from the facility in Amasra, on the Black Sea coast, alongside rescue workers.
Families and friends of the missing can also be seen in the mine, anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones.
The explosion is believed to have occurred at a depth of about 300 meters. About 49 people were working in the “dangerous” zone between 300 and 350 meters (985 to 1,150 feet) underground, Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said.
“There are people we couldn’t get out of the area,” Mr Swallow told reporters at the scene.
The cause of the blast is still unknown and the local prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation.
Turkey’s energy minister said initial indications were that the explosion was caused by fire vapor, which is an explosive compound in methane coal mines.
He said that we are facing a really sad situation.
There were instances of partial collapse inside the mine, he said, adding that there was no ongoing fire, and that ventilation was working properly.
