Turkey Mine Disaster: Clashes After 274 Killed

Protesters are facing off with riot police in western Turkey after 274 miners died and more than 100 others were trapped by an underground explosion.

Men in their teens and 20s have gathered in the town of Soma, some 155 miles (250km) south of Istanbul, as rescuers work to free the trapped miners.

Police wearing gas masks and armed with water canons are urging the protesters to disperse.

Many in the crowd expressed anger at Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

Rocks have been thrown at police, who chased down some of the protesters. Other protesters shouted that Mr Erdogan was a "murderer" and a "thief".

Violent clashes have also occurred in the capital Ankara, and on the streets of Istanbul, with police firing tear gas at the protesters.

Hundreds of frantic relatives have crowded around the surface of the mine in Soma, anxiously waiting for news.

Relatives wailed as victims were pulled one by one from the mine on stretchers.

Blankets were pulled away from the faces of the dead to give the jostling crowd a chance to identify their loved ones.

Several people had to be restrained as they desperately tried to climb into ambulances with the bodies.

There are reports that one of the victims was just 15 years old.

Mr Erdogan, who has visited the scene, said the latest figures suggest 120 miners are still trapped.

Those still underground are thought to be some 1.2 miles (2km) below the surface and 2.5 miles (4km) from the mine entrance.

Despite efforts to help any survivors who may be struggling to breathe, the country's energy minister Taner Yildiz said "hopes are diminishing" among rescuers.

The last miner to be rescued alive emerged from the mine in the early hours of the morning.

A fire was said to have been burning inside the mine long into the day and high levels of carbon monoxide have forced rescue teams to halt the operation on a number of occasions.

The poisonous gas is considered responsible for the majority of fatalities. Rescuers are pumping oxygen into the mine.

TV pictures earlier showed survivors coughing and spluttering as they were pulled out alive, their faces coated with black dust.

The disaster struck around 3pm local time on Tuesday during a change of shifts, meaning more than the usual number of workers were underground.

Turkey's energy minister previously said 787 workers were in the mine at the time of the blast, although there is now a degree of uncertainty about that figure.

According to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency just 93 people were pulled out alive, a significantly smaller number than previously reported.

Authorities say the disaster was caused by an electrical fault which triggered an explosion and a fire.

For many who have lost loved ones fear has now turned into anger as reports suggest poor safety standards could have contributed to the disaster.

According to Turkey's main opposition party Mr Erdogan's government voted down a proposal to launch an inquiry into a number of previous accidents at mines around Soma just two weeks ago.

Foreign Secretary William Hague is due to meet his Turkish counterpart in London tomorrow, and says he will discuss whether to send British aid to Turkey.

"I was deeply saddened to hear the news of the mining disaster in Soma, Turkey," he said.

"My thoughts and sympathies are with all those who are missing, their families, and also the rescue workers working tirelessly to search for survivors of this tragedy."

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the US is also ready to offer assistance to Turkey.

"On behalf of the American people, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and our best wishes for the safe exit of the remaining miners," he said.

"Turkey is a close and long-standing friend and ally of the United States. We are ready to assist the Turkish government if necessary. And we will continue to stand together in this time of tragedy."

Turkey's mines have one of the worst safety records in the developed world.

The country's worst mining disaster was in 1992, when a gas explosion killed 263 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.

Turkey has declared three days of national mourning.