Turkish Mine Explosion In 38 Harrowing Pictures

These 33 Turkish Mining Explosion Pictures Are Terrifying

The disaster happened in the town of Soma on Tuesday afternoon and is believed to be one of the worst mining disasters in the country's history.

Harrowing images have emerged of coal covered miners being rescused - the look in their eyes tell a disturbing story.

Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people were inside the coal mine, which is around 155 miles south of Istanbul, at the time of the accident.

A total of 363 of them had been rescued so far, the Associated Press reported. A total of 80 people were reported rescued but some had serious injuries.

Sena Isbiler, a mother of one of the miners, told the Associated Foreign Press: "I have been waiting for my son since early afternoon. I haven't heard anything about him yet."

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had postponed a trip to Albania over the accident and will visit Soma instead.

The country's worst mining disaster was 22 years ago, when a gas explosion killed 270 workers near the port town of Zonguldak in 1992.

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