33 years have passed... 263 miners who lost their lives in the Kozlu mine disaster were commemorated

A memorial ceremony was held in Zonguldak for the 263 miners who lost their lives in the firedamp explosion at the Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises (TTK) Kozlu Establishment on March 3, 1992.

The ceremony was attended by General Mine Workers' Union (GMİS) President Hakan Yeşil, Zonguldak Mayor Tahsin Erdem, Kozlu District Governor Hüseyin Ece, TTK General Manager Muharrem Kiraz, as well as union officials, representatives of various political parties and non-governmental organizations, mayors, and miners.

GMİS Kozlu Branch President Dursun Başbakıcı expressed his hope that such tragedies would never happen again.

Mertcan Şen, who said he started mining this year, stated, “We are sad. We remember them with longing, gratitude, and respect. There is nothing else we can do. It is a difficult profession, a difficult profession that must be endured and performed for the sake of earning a living.”

Yılmaz Karayeli, a miner of 17 years, said, “I hope we do not experience such pain again. We are very sad; we experience this pain every year.”

In the firedamp explosion that occurred on March 3, 1992, at the mine operated by the TTK Kozlu Establishment, 263 workers lost their lives, and the bodies of some workers could only be recovered 5 years after the disaster.