There are no more miners underground in the mine in Ilic

Nine workers were trapped under the ground due to a landslide that occurred in the Ilıç district of Erzincan on February 13, 2024. After extensive efforts, the last five workers have also been rescued. A mass funeral prayer will be held for the miners whose DNA tests have been completed.

The lifeless bodies of all workers who were trapped under tons of soil in the mine in the Ilıç district of Erzincan due to a landslide have been recovered. The miners, whose identities have been determined at the Diyarbakır Forensic Medicine Institute, will be sent off to their hometowns today with a ceremony.

9 workers were trapped under the ground

In the gold mine area in the Ilıç district, a landslide occurred on February 13, trapping 9 workers under tons of soil.

After continuous search efforts involving machinery and hundreds of personnel, the lifeless bodies of Uğur Yıldız, Adnan Keklik, Ramazan Çimen, and Kenan Öz were found. The unfortunate miners were laid to rest in their hometowns amidst the tears of their loved ones.

Following uninterrupted search operations, the lifeless bodies of Mehmet Kazar, Fahrettin Keklik, Abdurrahman Şahin, Şaban Yılmaz, and Hüseyin Kara, who were under the ground, were also recovered.

DNA samples were compared

Due to the unrecognizable condition of the recovered bodies, DNA samples taken from the families were compared at the Diyarbakır Forensic Medicine Institute. Following the procedures at the institute, it was confirmed that all miners trapped under the soil had been rescued.

AK Party Erzincan Deputy Süleyman Karaman stated that Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar would attend the funeral ceremony at the noon prayer for Mehmet Kazar, Fahrettin Keklik, Abdurrahman Şahin, Şaban Yılmaz, and Hüseyin Kara, who were trapped under the ground.

Deputy Karaman also informed that after the collective funeral prayer to be held at the Terzibaba Mosque in Erzincan, the bodies of the workers would be sent off to their hometowns.

The funerals of Fahrettin Keklik, a father of two, and Şaban Yılmaz, also a father of two, will take place today at the Yusuf Ziya Demir Mosque in the Ilıç district following the afternoon prayer, and they will be buried in the district cemetery.

The funeral of Mehmet Kazar, a father of three, will be sent to Osmaniye, the funeral of Abdurrahman Şahin, a father of one, will be sent to the center of Sivas, and the funeral of Hüseyin Kara, who was single, will be sent to the Gürün district of Sivas.