After the mine disaster of Soma anger grows on the Turkish government. Opposition and trade unions accuse the AKP of Prime Minister Erdogan to have neglected the safety in the mine. Protesters even speak of “murder”.

Rescue work in the mine of Soma are still running, but the political blame for the worst with more than 200 fatalities mine disaster in the history of Turkey have already begun.

The government is coming under increasing pressure, particularly as the hopes for the rescue additional survivors decreases with advancing time. The opposition blames the ruling AKP of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan serious allegations. The main opposition party CHP had called for an investigation into the security measures in Soma in

Parliament until 14 days ago. The AKP had blocked this project with its parliamentary majority, however.
The AKP deputy Muzaffer Yurttas, who represents the constituency of Soma in Ankara, said the opposition in late April that the Turkish mines are safer than in most other states. “If God wills,” nothing will happen “not even nosebleed” is Yurttas, according to the opposition near newspaper “Hürriyet” have said.

Mine accident in Turkey:”This is murder, not a destiny”

 

Energy Minister Taner Yildiz had visited the accident mine personally nine months ago. At that time he praised the security arrangements at the mine and praised the quality of the coal which.

As Prime Minister Erdogan on Tuesday night learned of the disaster, he participated just to the award of a Film Awards . He promised rapid aid, but also said that it had no precise information on the cause and extent of the disaster . Then he went on jokes and filmed with a video camera.
On Wednesday morning , the government announced a three-day national mourning now , retroactively as of Tuesday . A national holiday on May 19 has been deleted. President Abdullah Gül said a trip from China.

Before the Office of Soma Holding in Istanbul , which owns the mine , demonstrators gathered . Someone sprayed the word ” murderer! ” on the wall. In addition, protesters held up signs with posters that read : ” This building stands on the blood of the workers ” and “You’re not dead nice This is murder, not a destiny . . ”

The protesters were related to statements from the year 2010. Then as in a mining accident near the Black Sea miners were killed, the then Labour Minister Omer Dincer had said the men were ” dead beautiful.” Erdogan had once described death as “fate” of the miners .

Turkish media reported that the company had recently implemented austerity measures in the mine . Check this result could not , but the information that the CEO Alp Gürkan the AKP should be positioned next , was enough to stir up emotions . 2012 turnover was 300 million lira ( the equivalent of about one hundred million euros ) in 2014 , the target of 700 million .

Mine accident in Turkey: Among the dead is to be a 15-year-old boy

Gürkan is a geologist and has been working in the seventies in the mining industry. With the acquisition of Soma Holding, he laid the foundation for his success. Starting in 2005, was purchased as coal for power generation by the private sector and the Soma Holding was awarded the contract, it was for him uphill. Gürkan invested on behalf of the state in real estate projects. Such transactions are in Turkey but only possible if one is close to Erdogan and to give consent.

In an interview Gürkan 2012 celebrated even sure that it was his company managed to have pushed the price of a ton of coal equivalent to almost one hundred euros less than 20 euros . That should have been achieved also that Gürkan contracts awarded to contractors who do not take it with the safety precautions as accurate and pay their workers significantly worse than the workers who are unionized. On its website, the company described the catastrophe in a statement as ” a sad accident. ”

The government stressed in the morning again , whether safety standards were complied with – a statement of the doubt many observers . According to relatives to have been among the dead and a 15 year old boy . Energy Minister Yildiz denied this : ” The employment of a 15 -year-olds in a mine is impossible,” said the politician . The unions scored the accusation against it as evidence of the lack of standards and as a sign that it is in the accident a ” massacre ” the principal .

Erdogan wants to visit the place of the catastrophe on Wednesday .

Watch Turkey Mine Accident Video

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