Ministry announces closure of culverts leading to the Euphrates

At the mine, which was temporarily closed due to a cyanide leak on June 21, 2022, but later resumed operations, 9 mine workers lost their lives as a result of a landslide. Following this tragic event, authorities, acting on concerns regarding the risk of a leak toward the Euphrates River in the region, decided to close the culvert gates where the Sabırlı Creek connects to the Euphrates River.

'WE HAVE HAD THE CULVERTS OF SABIRLI CREEK REACHING THE EUPHRATES CLOSED'

Officials from the Ministry of Environment provided information on the matter in a statement, saying, "We are on the field with all the resources of our state. Search and rescue efforts are continuing under the coordination of AFAD. Furthermore, immediately after the landslide, our Ministry's central and Provincial Directorate Inspection Teams were urgently dispatched to the region. In order to prevent the material flowing during the landslide from reaching the Euphrates River, we have had the gates of the culvert where Sabırlı Creek reaches the Euphrates River closed. Our teams are continuing their work on the field, and we are following the developments with sensitivity."

GOVERNOR: NO LEAKAGE INTO THE EUPHRATES, IF THERE WERE, I WOULD ANNOUNCE IT

On the other hand, Erzincan Governor Hamza Aydoğdu, who was conducting inspections in the region, stated that there was no leakage into the Euphrates River, saying, "There is no such thing at the moment. If there were, I would explain it to you. There is no leakage into the Euphrates River at this time. A landslide has occurred. Apart from the landslide, there is no other problem. All teams are arriving. They will perform all checks. There is no flow into the Euphrates River at the moment," he stated.