Bulgarian leaders send condolences to Turkish counterparts over Soma mine disaster
Bulgaria’s President, Speaker of Parliament, prime minister and foreign minister each sent messages of condolences to their Turkish counterparts on May 14 2014 after the Soma coal mine disaster in which at least 232 people died, others were injured and many were trapped.
Turkey has declared three days of mourning after the tragedy, reported to have resulted from an electrical explosion that caused a fire.
In a message to Turkish president Abdullah Gul, Bulgarian head of state Rossen Plevneliev expressed the Bulgarian people’s and his own condolences on the loss of life, also expressing hope for the soonest possible recovery of those injured and the successful rescue of the trapped miners.
Rescuers were pumping fresh air into the mine in Soma, where hundreds of people were believed to be still trapped.
“We are heading towards this accident likely being the deadliest ever in Turkey,” Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told reporters at the scene, the Voice of America reported.
