Landslide in Turkish gold mine traps at least nine: Horrifying video emerges amid rescue efforts

The landslide reportedly happened around 7:00 AM Eastern Time in the vicinity of Ilic town in Erzincan province. Bekir Aksun, the mayor of Erzincan, confirmed that a minimum of nine people had been buried underground. However, the precise count of trapped individuals remains uncertain as some reports are hinting that between 10 and 12 miners are missing.

"We have no updates regarding the nine trapped miners yet. The rescue operation is in progress with 400 personnel on site," stated Interior Minister Ali Jerlikaya, as quoted by Turkish media.

The company overseeing the gold mine has committed to organizationally exhaustive efforts to discern the causes behind this incident.

"This incident is deeply upsetting. We immediately got in touch with our employees in the region, initiated our contingency plan, and alerted the relevant institutional and public bodies," the statement read.

A brief video surfaced on social media, illustrating the collapsing earth engulf all in its path.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced that an inquiry into the catastrophe is underway. He expressed his hope for the safe rescuing of the miners trapped beneath the debris.

Let's recall that in 2022, an explosion at the Amasra coal mine in northwest Turkey resulted in 41 miners losing their lives. This recalls an even greater disaster in 2014, when an event in the lignite coal mine of Soma led to the death of 301 people.