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Mining disaster charges

May 18, 2014

A Turkish prosecutor says three people have been charged over last week's mining disaster in the western town of Soma that killed 301 people. This comes as the last of the victims were buried.

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Police officers stand guard in front of a courthouse in Soma, a district in Turkey's western province of Manisa May 18, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer
Image: Reuters

Prosecutor Bekir Sahiner said on Sunday the three people had been charged with negligence and the crime of causing the death of more than one person.

At a news conference in the town of Soma, where the disaster took place, he also said six of the 25 people detained over the disaster had been released.

The charges and the detentions are the first in the inquiry into the accident, which occurred five days ago.

The disaster has sparked protests across Turkey, directed both at the mine owners and at the government of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, which has been criticized for being too close to industry bosses and insensitive in its response to the deadly accident.

The mining company has denied accusations of negligence, saying the mine was inspected by state officials every six months.

The disaster occurred when a fire sent deadly carbon monoxide coursing through the mine in Soma in what was the country's worst-ever industrial accident. The rescue operation at the coal mine ended on Saturday after the bodies of the last two of the 301 workers killed were carried out.

They were buried on Sunday.

Turkey has one of the world's worst industrial accident records, with workplace safety standards failing to keep pace with rapid economic growth.

tj/jm (Reuters, AP, dpa)