A search and rescue operation is continuing, for the third consecutive day on Thursday, an attempt to find 18 workers still trapped inside a mine which was flooded with water in Karman province south of Ankara.
The mud and destruction inside the mine is making it difficult for the rescue operation, and hope is fading slowly to find the missing miners, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said.
The minister added the rescue operation is continuing despite the hard work and efforts.
Two nights ago, the miners became trapped when a water pipe inside a private lignite mine exploded near the town of Ermenek town in Karman province, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Ankara.