Turkey: miners trapped in a gold mine whose closure is now demanded
Nine miners are still trapped since Tuesday February 13 under a pile of earth from a gold mine in eastern Turkey. Research continues, but beyond this human drama, NGOs called on Wednesday for the closure of the mine which could be the cause of major pollution of the Euphrates, the great river which crosses Turkey. , Syria and Iraq.
A demonstration in Istanbul calling for the closure of a gold mine in eastern Turkey, accused of contaminating the Euphrates River after a landslide trapped nine miners. © OZAN KOSE / AFP
By: RFI Follow
Advertisement
Read more
A mound formed by a pile of earth removed from the mine descended on Tuesday February 13 like a lava flow into a valley in the area, covering a large area and leaving nine miners trapped. As the hope of finding these buried miners alive dwindles, voices are being raised to demand the closure of the Iliç gold mine: “
Not only are our nature and our resources being massacred, but our lives too
” , the Union of Chambers of Architects and Engineers of
Turkey
said on Wednesday
.
“
Millions of tons of toxic waste flow into
the Euphrates
. Close the mine
,” the Iliç Environment and Nature Platform was alarmed. A fear shared by Turkish experts. According to them, the earth could contain significant quantities of cyanide, a chemical compound commonly used to extract gold, but extremely toxic by inhalation and very flammable.
Landslide near Iliç gold mine accused of creating cyanide pollution. © Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP
The Ministry of the Environment announced new measures on Wednesday to “
prevent the earth from flowing into the Euphrates
” without reassuring supporters of a closure of the mine who fear a major ecological disaster. In 2022, this mine had already made headlines after a cyanide leak, prompting authorities to briefly suspend its operations. But its exploitation was able to resume with the payment of a simple fine. “
Despite the cyanide leak, the mine's permit was not withdrawn and its capacity was increased. The company benefited from legal protection [...]. All this has paved the way for disaster
,” the Turkish Physician Association criticized on Tuesday.
Also read: How European plastic waste invaded Turkey
(And with
AFP
)
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your inbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Share :
Continue reading on the same themes:
Raw materials
Environment
Pollution
Türkiye