A methane gas (grizu) explosion at a private coal mine in Zonguldak's Gelik area killed two miners and injured five others on October 23, 2026, Turkish officials said. One worker remained trapped underground as rescue teams worked to reach him, according to the provincial governor.
What happened
A methane explosion struck a privately operated coal mine in Gelik, a village under the Kilimli district of Zonguldak province in northwestern Turkey, around midday on October 23, 2026. Local officials and news outlets described the blast as a grizu explosion, the Turkish term for a methane gas ignition common in underground coal mining.
Zonguldak Governor Osman Hacıbektaşoğlu said eight workers were underground at the time. Seven were brought out; two of them later died after being taken to hospital, and one worker remained inside the mine as rescue crews tried to reach him.
Casualties and the rescue effort
Officials put the toll at two dead and five injured, two of whom were in serious condition with burns and had to be intubated. The injured were first treated at Zonguldak Atatürk State Hospital, and at least one was later transferred to a hospital in Ankara for specialized care, according to Milliyet and BirGün.
Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said one of the five injured workers was in critical condition. Rescue teams from AFAD (the national disaster agency), the fire department, the gendarmerie and the Turkish Hard Coal Enterprise (TTK) were sent to the site, along with ambulance crews.
One of our miners is still in the mine. We have reached him and are working to bring him out.
— Zonguldak Governor Osman Hacıbektaşoğlu
Cause and the mine's operator
Officials attributed the blast to a methane gas leak that ignited underground; Kilimli/Gelik Mayor Burhan Sezgin said the exact type of gas had not yet been determined and the precise cause of the explosion remained under investigation. BirGün identified the mine as privately operated and owned by the Demir family.
Background: mining safety in Turkey's coal basin
Zonguldak is Turkey's main hard-coal mining region, where both state-run Turkish Hard Coal Enterprise (TTK) pits and private operations extract coal from deep underground seams prone to methane buildup. The region sits near Bartın province, where a methane explosion at the Amasra mine killed 42 workers and injured 27 on October 14, 2022, one of the deadliest industrial accidents in modern Turkish history.
Questions
How many people died in the Zonguldak mine explosion?
Turkish officials, including the Zonguldak governor and the interior minister, said two miners died and five were injured; one additional worker remained trapped underground as rescue efforts continued.
What caused the explosion?
Officials said a methane gas (grizu) leak ignited inside the mine. The Kilimli/Gelik mayor said the exact type of gas had not been confirmed, and the precise cause of the explosion was still under investigation.
Where exactly did the explosion happen?
It happened at a private coal mine in Gelik, a village in the Kilimli district of Zonguldak province in northwestern Turkey. According to BirGün, the mine was owned by the Demir family.
Were all the workers rescued?
Of eight workers reported underground, seven were brought out; two of them later died in hospital. One worker remained trapped as rescue teams, including AFAD, fire crews, gendarmerie and TTK rescue units, worked to reach him.
Has Turkey had similar mining disasters before?
Yes. In October 2022, a methane explosion at the Amasra coal mine in neighboring Bartın province killed 42 workers and injured 27, one of the deadliest industrial accidents in recent Turkish history.
How the world is telling it
TurkishTurkish outlets (Sözcü, Habertürk, Milliyet, Hürriyet) led with rapidly updated casualty figures from the governor, interior minister and local mayor, emphasizing the ongoing rescue of the trapped miner and transfers of burn victims, while noting the cause of the gas leak was still being investigated.
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