Erzincan's İliç district witnessed a landslide at the Çöpler Gold Mine owned by Anagold Mining, where a heap leach pile collapsed, trapping nine workers underneath. The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, provided an update on the ongoing search and rescue efforts.
Bayraktar conveyed that intensive search and rescue operations are underway to locate the missing miners. He stated, "We are searching for our nine brothers. We have determined that three of them are in one location, and the other six in a different one."
According to the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Bayraktar mentioned, "We will enter the identified points more intensively today." He emphasized that, despite all risks, rescue efforts would be intensified. "Hopefully, we will get results from these efforts because there are intense expectations from the families and colleagues of the workers here, and rightfully so. We are working and making efforts to respond to them."
Public health concerns
Bayraktar addressed concerns about cyanide leakage, stating that field measurements have been conducted to assess potential threats to public health. Regular samples are being taken from both water and soil, with tests reassuring authorities that there is no immediate cause for concern. "There is nothing that will threaten public health or endanger our personnel, especially the AFAD personnel working there. Therefore, we are working in the region safely," he added.
Regarding the removal of the pile, Bayraktar mentioned that planning is underway for the excavation of the landslide-induced soil heap. Although this process might extend over several months, efforts to safely relocate the soil will commence. "We are starting our work to remove the soil and safely store it again. Probably, in the meeting we will have this afternoon, we will have outlined the roadmap for this," he said.
