Official: 14 dead, 28 hurt after blast in Turkish coal mine

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s interior minister says an explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey has left 14 people dead and at least 28 injured, while nearly 50 remain trapped underground. The explosion occurred Friday at a state-owned mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin. The country’s energy minister said the blast was caused by firedamp — a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines — according to preliminary findings. There were 110 people in the mine at the time of the explosion. Most were able to vacate the mine following the blast but 49 people were trapped in a “high risk” area of the mine, the interior minister said.