Trucks escape a landslide in Türkiye
A video captured by a vehicle's dashboard camera shows trucks fleeing a landslide near a gold mine in Turkey, Tuesday (13). An estimated 10 million cubic meters of mud fell from a gorge.
The earth rolled down the sloping part of the mountain, blocking the road on which the trucks passed.
According to the Turkish Interior Minister, at least nine workers were trapped. According to the country's press, four people were arrested and authorities began investigating the incident one of those arrested was the mine manager, according to state broadcaster TRT Haber.
Hundreds of rescue teams searched for survivors there.
The mine is operated by the private company Anagold, which has been operating in the area since 2010.
Requests to close the mine
There are calls in Turkey to close this gold mine because the land there could be contaminated with cyanide.
The Turkish Association of Chambers of Engineers and Architects called on the government to close the mine immediately, saying it had already warned about the risk of disaster at the site but ignored it.
“All those responsible for the disaster must be brought to justice,” the union said in a statement.
Pollution of the Euphrates
Environmentalists fear that cyanide and sulfuric acid used in gold mining could end up in the Euphrates, which flows from Turkey to Syria and Iraq.
Turkey's Environment Ministry said it had closed a stream leading from the mine to the Euphrates as a precautionary measure and that no pollutants had been detected in the river.
Local environmental group Ilic Platform on Nature and the Environment claims the stream once mixed with the Euphrates. “Don’t close (the stream), close the mine,” the group demands.
Environmentalists and local authorities tried to close the mine after a burst pipe leaked cyanide in 2022. The mine was closed for several months and reopened after the operator paid a fine, sparking sharp criticism from opposition parties.