Witnesses testify in Amasra mine disaster trial: 'They wanted high production with few workers'

The 4th hearing of the trial concerning the explosion in Amasra, which resulted in the deaths of 43 miners and left 9 others injured, has begun.

The hearing, which continues with 23 defendants, 7 of whom are in custody, has started the process of hearing approximately 130 witnesses.

Witness Kaan Kerman stated that he worked as a blaster in the mine and was on annual leave on the day of the explosion.

Explaining that they placed dynamite into 32-centimeter diameter holes in the mine under the supervision of engineers, supervisors, and foremen, and then retreated 300 meters to detonate them, Kerman said, "Generally, this distance was adhered to. We would wait half an hour for the air to clear and check for methane with devices."

Upon a question from the plaintiffs' attorneys regarding working conditions, Kerman stated, "They wanted high coal production with few workers. All of our friends have said this to law enforcement. We were not shown an emergency action plan regarding how to act in emergency situations."

''THERE WAS PRODUCTION PRESSURE''

Murat Aşkın, a production worker at the mine face who has worked at the institution for about 4.5 years, stated that he was on the day shift on the day of the explosion.

Explaining that excessive methane gas could accumulate in the production area and that they tried to solve this with ventilation fans, Aşkın said, "At the -320 level, the number of fans, which was previously 1, was increased to three due to gas levels. There were 3 fans where we worked. Two were where production took place, and one was in the back. When I was on the day shift, there were no problems with the fans; they were all working. There was production pressure. We told our supervisors this many times, but it remained just talk. I wish we hadn't worked by ignoring those pressures."

''GAS ISSUES WERE KNOWN''

Production worker Yusuf Yalçın stated, "There was a gas problem at -320 and the devices were constantly beeping. It was hotter than it should have been. That's why extra fans were installed. Our supervisors also knew there was a gas problem here. Normally, while 1 fan would have been enough, there were 4."

Arif Ergin, who worked as a supervisor, mentioned that there was a ventilation problem in the mine but that they did not think such a major incident would occur, and claimed that the cause of the explosion was "managerial negligence".

"PRODUCTION PRESSURE WAS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL"

Ferhat Dönmez, a worker in the electromechanical maintenance service, argued that they had recently been asked to increase coal production and noted the following:

"I can say that the accident was caused by the failure to fully implement occupational safety measures. Before the accident, there was a problem with ventilation in the mine, and I went into the mine as well. It was a situation I had seen for the first time in my 15-year mining career. The place I went to for the malfunction was very, very hot. A reverse fan had been installed; I had never seen such a thing. I was very surprised. Production pressure was also at the highest level."

WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE TRIAL PROCESS?

In the explosion that occurred around 18:15 on October 14, 2022, at the mine owned by the Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises (TTK) Amasra Establishment in the Amasra district of Bartın, 41 miners lost their lives and 11 were injured. One miner passed away on November 4, 2022, at the hospital where he was transferred, and another miner passed away on April 5 at the hospital where he was receiving treatment.

Within the scope of the investigation conducted by the Amasra Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, 24 suspects, including TTK Amasra Establishment Manager Cihat Özdemir, were detained.

Among the suspects, TTK Amasra Establishment Manager Cihat Özdemir, Deputy Establishment Manager Salih Atmaca, Operations Manager Selçuk Ekmekci, Occupational Safety and Training Chief Engineer Volkan Soylu, Chief Engineer Mehmet Tural, mining engineers responsible for the production units Levent Aydın and İbrahim Hakan Mengeş, and safety engineer Şahan Kahraman were arrested on charges of "causing the death and injury of more than one person through conscious negligence." Judicial control provisions were applied to 4 suspects, while 3 suspects were released by the judgeship they were brought before, and 9 were released after their interrogations by the prosecutor's office. A decision of non-prosecution was issued for one person among these suspects during the investigation process.