How was the mining disaster in İliç viewed by the world press?
One of the greatest disasters in history took place yesterday in İliç, Erzincan. A massive landslide occurred at the mine in İliç, and a vast amount of toxic waste was released into nature. At least 9 miners were trapped under millions of tons of soil. We examined the reports of foreign news outlets following the disaster, which once again developed due to negligence and rent-seeking.
12PUNTO FOREIGN NEWS
The mining disaster that occurred yesterday (February 13, 2024) in İliç, Erzincan, found coverage in the international press. While many international news organizations such as DW, BBC, and Al Jazeera reported on the disaster, the common point of the reports was Turkey’s 'poor track record' regarding mining accidents.
The media outlets reporting on the disaster in Erzincan included statements from officials and questioned the country's record on mining activities and worker safety by citing examples of past mining accidents in Turkey.
The BBC interviewed Ayhan Yüksel, the head of the TMMOB Chamber of Mining Engineers. It wrote that, in Yüksel's view, the disaster could lead to a serious environmental catastrophe.
The Guardian, in its report, gave extensive space to the warnings it had made in the past regarding the Çöpler mine, while drawing attention to the increasing number of mining accidents in the country in recent years.
The German media outlet DW drew attention to the cyanide danger in its report, while including Anagold's statement: “We have activated our emergency plan and intervened in the incident immediately, and we have also informed the authorities.”
The reports mentioned that a cyanide pipe had previously burst at the Çöpler Mine, and included details about the mine having been fined in the past and concerns regarding safety. Media outlets stated that experts had warned about the mine repeatedly in the past.
CANADIAN PRESS DID NOT COVER THE DISASTER
The disaster received very little coverage in the Canadian press. Canada's most well-known broadcasters, such as CBC News, CTV News, Global News, and the Toronto Sun, did not carry the mining disaster in their news.
On the other hand, a news site called Toronto City News reported on the accident and included warnings from experts that a possible environmental disaster could occur.
In addition to the world press, details regarding Anagold Mining did not appear in the news published in Canada either. While the company's name was mentioned in most of the reports in the foreign press, no detail regarding the fact that the company is of Canadian origin was encountered.