Amasra Coal Mine Explosion: Government Pressure to Increase Coal Production Led to Disaster

A recent report by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has revealed that government pressure to increase coal production led to the 2022 state-owned coal mine explosion in the Amasra district of northern Turkey, resulting in the deaths of 43 miners.

The report included testimony from Selçuk Ekmekçi, the manager of the mine, who stated that they acted on the orders of the facility manager to prioritize coal production despite rising methane levels. This testimony supports claims of production pressure at the Amasra mine, which was one of the locations where government-distributed aid coal was extracted.

Investigation and Trial

The initial arrests related to the explosion began on October 28, 2022, and the case started in April 2023. Four of the defendants were charged with “murder with probable intent” and face up to 1,080 years in prison, while 19 others were charged with “reckless manslaughter” and face up to 18 years in prison.

During the trial, four of the eight defendants who were being held were released. Facility Manager Cihat Özdemir, Mine Manager Selçuk Ekmekçi, and chief engineers Volkan Soylu and Mehmet Tural, who faced up to 1,080 years in prison, remained in custody.

Ministry Investigation

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources launched an investigation into the explosion, during which the defendants provided statements to the ministry’s inspectors. Mine Manager Selçuk Ekmekçi told the inspectors that coal extraction from a site 320 meters underground had begun on the orders of Facility Manager Cihat Özdemir, 15 days before the explosion.

Ekmekçi stated that the coal was sold without going through the rock sorting process known as “lavuar.” This statement was confirmed by transport engineer Mehmet Akif Özdamar, who testified that coal extracted from 320 meters underground was brought to the surface in wagons, where large rocks were sorted by hand due to the demand for support coal before the explosion.

Expert Report

An expert report in September 2023 found that the state enterprise was entirely to blame for the explosion, identifying nine individual points of negligence in the coal mine. The report stated that an accident was “unavoidable” given the conditions.

TTK General Director’s History

TTK General Director Kazım Eroğlu has a long history of mine explosions. Before becoming the general director, Eroğlu was the Director of the Kozlu Works in Zonguldak. On January 7, 2013, Eroğlu was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for “causing death by negligence” in the case related to the explosion that killed eight miners in the Kozlu mine.