At least 200 miners killed in Turkey

(Vatican Radio) It’s the worst mining accident in Turkey for more than two decades; 787 workers were in mine when the blast occurred on Tuesday afternoon and at least 201 were confirmed dead on Wednesday morning.
Rescue workers have been working around the clock and pumping oxygen into the mine to keep those trapped alive.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told reporters carbon monoxide poisoning killed most of those confirmed dead.
The death toll on Wednesday morning was at least 201. At least 80 others injured in the blast have been hospitalized. Government officials expect the death toll to rise.
Thousands of family members and fellow workers have been gathering outside the hospital, hoping to hear news about loved ones.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan expressed his hope that rescue workers will be able to save as many miners as possible and called on God’s mercy for those who lost their lives. He cancelled his trip to Albania on Wednesday to travel to the disaster site in the town of Soma, about 450 km west of the capital Ankara.
An electrical fault is thought to have triggered the explosion. A subsequent power outage has made the elevators unusable and hundreds of miners remain stranded two kilometres underground where the fire still burns.
The mine's owners, Soma Komur Isletmeleri, said an investigation is underway; the accident occurred, they said, despite the “highest safety measures and constant controls”.
Listen to the report by Laura Ieraci: