Rescue attempts are underway to save those still trapped inside the mine (Picture: Getty Images)
A huge explosion inside a coal mile in Turkey has left 14 people dead.
Around 50 others remain trapped underground with desperate efforts underway to save them.
Turkey’s interior minister confirmed the death toll this evening.
Around 28 people have also been injured in the blast, Suleyman Soylu told local media.
He told reporters that the ‘truly regretful situation’ had resulted in some miners escaping on their own, but others remain in need of rescue.
The explosion took place at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin.
Energy minister Fatih Donmez said the explosion is likely to have been caused by firedamp, a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines.
There were 110 people inside the mine at the time of the blast, according to Mr Soylu who has travelled to Amasra to coordinate the rescue operation.
A huge rescue attempt is underway to save those still trapped inside the mine (Picture: EPA)
Huge crowds have gathered to await further news on loved ones or offer help (Picture: Getty Images)
A wounded miner is carried to safety by rescue workers (Picture: EPA)
Most of the workers were able to vacate the mine following the explosion but 49 were trapped in a ‘high risk’ area of the facility, the minister said.
Several rescue teams were dispatched to the area, including from neighbouring provinces. Media reports said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cancelled a planned visit to south-east Turkey and would travel to Amasra instead.
The private DHA news agency quoted one worker, who escaped from the mine, as saying he felt a ‘pressure’ but he could not see anything due to the dust and dirt.
People rushed to the mine for news of trapped friends or colleagues, DHA reported.
The trapped miners are reportedly stuck in two separate areas between 300 and 350 metres below ground, DigitalJournal reports.
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 western Turkey.
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A huge rescue attempt is underway to save those still trapped inside the mine.