Death toll rises to 40 in Turkey coal mine explosion

The death toll from a coal mine explosion in northern Turkey rose to at least 40 people Saturday, officials said. Rescue efforts continued as a fire burned in the mine and desperate relatives waited for news.

There were 110 miners working in the shaft when the explosion occurred Friday evening at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin.

Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said efforts were continuing to reach 15 people. Most of them are in the mine's gallery where a fire is still burning.

“It’s not a huge fire, but to get there safely, the fire and carbon monoxide gas must be eliminated," he told journalists at the site.