Erdogan government conceals exact number of Soma mine accident victims.

Erdogan government conceals exact number of Soma mine accident victims.(Taz).

The Turkish government is concealing the exact number of the mine accident victims in the Manisa province, Turkish MP from Manisa province, member of the opposition Republican People's Party Hasan Oren said on May 16, Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported.

"Only the government knows the exact number of mine accident victims," he said.

He also stressed that the country's opposition parties have agreed not to use the mine tragedy for political purposes.

The death toll as a result of the mine accident in Turkey on May 13 has increased to 284.

"The rescue operations are underway, however, few chances remain to rescue the miners, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources," Taner Yildiz said earlier.

Currently, over 90 people remain under the rubble.

Turkey has announced a three day mourning period for victims of the mining accident.
In total, there are 740 coal mines and 48,706 miners in Turkey.
Over 3,000 people have been killed and over 100,000 have received various injuries since 1941 to the present day in the mine accidents in Turkey.
Some 10.4 percent of the total number of the work accidents occurs at mines in Turkey.
In the first four months of 2014, some 1,235 people were killed as a result of the work accidents in Turkey, 103 of them were female.
The previous worst mine accident in Turkey's history occurred in the province of Zonguldak in 1992, killing 263 workers.Hmmmmm.......

The easiest question: If there are only 18 miners left down there - who are all the poor people waiting for??? #soma #turkey
— Capulcu Tonella (@diehimbeertonis) May 16, 2014

Another question: how many miners were announced injured - despite them beeing dead? #soma pic via @imc_televizyonu: pic.twitter.com/cQP3i9O7Sg
— Capulcu Tonella (@diehimbeertonis) May 16, 2014

Number of victims in #soma according to locals: 565 according to BBc: 600 according to AFAD: 500 according to AKP: 274 / 302 via @nuryder
— Capulcu Tonella (@diehimbeertonis) May 16, 2014

Update:  Another person facing an agonizing wait outside the depot is Hüseyin Acar, a 77-year-old former miner, who said his grandson, 31-year-old Talip Özden, was among the missing.

“I haven't been able to find my grandson dead or alive in three days,” he said.

Other family members have also been tirelessly waiting outside the makeshift morgue, with exhaustion and grief visible on their faces.

 Acar said the officials' claims that inspections had taken place at the mine were a lie. “They still use welding equipment using an oxygen tube. Everybody knows that. 

When the inspectors arrive, they [mine managers] take the LPG tubes and the flammable material outside.

Nobody should try to lie to us saying inspections are carried out.

”Social security expert Erhan Nacar said the state has failed to force mine owners to take the necessary precautions. “In mines, the place we call the power unit is protected with a reinforced structure and normally even a dynamite explosion would have no impact,” he said.