At least 28 people have been killed in a coal mine explosion in Turkey – with dozens more still trapped inside.

The state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra was rocked by the blast at around 6:45pm on Friday, with emergency services working through the night to pull trapped workers to the surface.

Some 110 people were in the mine at the time of the eruption, which the country’s energy minister said was caused by firedamp – a reference to flammable gases found at the site.

So far, the government has confirmed the deaths of 25 people. A further 17 people have been injured, including eight who are in intensive care.

One worker made his own way out of the mine, and described feeling “pressure” but being unable to see anything due to the dust and dirt, the DHA news agency reported.

Most of the workers were able to evacuate following the blast, but 49 were trapped in a higher risk area of the facility, interior minister Suleyman Soylu said.

“We are faced with a picture that we truly regret, that we regret to have to share (with the public),” Mr Soylu said.

Several rescue teams were dispatched to the area, including from neighbouring provinces, Turkey’s disaster management agency, AFAD, added.

Relatives and friends of the mine employees have also gathered outside the facility as they await news of their loved ones.

President cancels planned trip to deal with mine incident

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced he was cancelling a planned visit to the southeastern city of Diyarbakir and would travel to Amasra instead to coordinate the rescue operation himself.

He said three prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the incident.

“Our hope is that the loss of life does not increase further, that our miners are saved,” Mr Erdogan said in a statement.

“All our efforts are geared in that direction.”

In Turkey’s worst mine disaster, a total of 301 people died in 2014 in a fire inside a coal mine in the town of Soma, in the west of the country.

Related posts:

Briton facing jail for sneaking out of Singapore quarantine hotel room to see fiancee Israeli archaeologists discover dozens of new Dead Sea Scroll fragments in desert cave Top Gear star and racing driver Sabine Schmitz dies, aged 51 No high-fives, cheering or alcohol: Tokyo Olympics will be ‘safe and secure’ but not much fun Australia and NZ withdraw from Rugby League World Cup as England ‘too unsafe’ Indian family rescued after confining themselves to tent for 15 months over COVID fears Violence in Vienna as thousands take to streets across Europe to protest against COVID measures Many of Ukraine’s defence forces are young, inexperienced, and mystified by unfolding events Poland refuses to play World Cup play-off match against Russia over Ukraine invasion Miracle baby born in underground shelter during Russian invasion The security men, officials, and friends who are in Putin’s inner circle Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe ‘shot’ while giving speech, according to reports