Landslide in Turkish gold mine leaves nine workers missing

A landslide occurred at a gold mine in eastern Turkey’s Erzincan province on Tuesday, February 13, leaving nine workers missing.

Furthermore, the incident took place at the Copler mine, around 2:30 p.m., while the Associated Press reported that 800 search and rescue personnel were present on scene on Wednesday to retrieve the nine missing miners.

The soil mass that collapsed had been processed for gold and could contain hazardous substances, including cyanide. Geologist Suleyman Pampal stated that the event poses an environmental threat due to its proximity to the Euphrates River.

It has also been reported that the same mine was closed in 2020, after a similar cyanide spill into the river, and reopened two years later upon completing the cleanup operation and being fined.

A video depicting the moment of the collapse has been made available by Guardian News.