ANKARA, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were trapped in a gold mine in the Ilic district of Erzinjan province in the eastern part of the country, according to Turkey's NTV TV station 13**.
According to the report, at around 14:30 on the same day, a large-scale landslide suddenly occurred in the gold mining area. The governor of Erzinjan province, Hamza Aydodu, who was in charge of the search and rescue efforts at the scene, said that nine to 12 miners could be buried, and the exact number was uncertain. The mayor of Erzinjan, Bekir Akson, said 10 to 12 miners were missing. At present, the search and rescue work is in full swing. **Footage shows a landslide sweeping across the valley, with search and rescue services deploying ambulances at the scene, as well as installing generators and night lighting.
Turkish Interior Minister Yerlikaya told ** that there were 667 workers in the entire mining area at that time. After the mining disaster, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency urgently mobilized search and rescue personnel from surrounding provinces, and there are currently about 400 search and rescue personnel on the scene.
Turkish Justice Minister Tunchi announced that an investigation into the mine accident had begun.
In May 2014, a serious mining disaster occurred at a coal mine in the Soma region of Manisa province in western Turkey, killing 301 people and injuring more than 80.