ISTANBUL -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey canceled Republic Day celebrations at the new presidential palace on the outskirts of Ankara, the capital, on Wednesday to observe rescue operations at a coal mine in southern Anatolia, where 18 people remained trapped more than 1,000 feet below the surface.
"We decided to cancel the reception due to the unfortunate mine accident in Karaman," Erdogan said at the new presidential residence Wednesday, referring to the province where the accident took place. He added that he did not consider it appropriate to hold a lavish ceremony while miners remained trapped underground.
As miners were having lunch Tuesday in one of the work galleries of a coal mine near the town of Ermenek, they became trapped by rising waters, news agencies reported. It was not immediately clear what had caused the flooding.
Witnesses told local news outlets that eight of the 26 miners were able to escape after the initial rush of water. Officials said 18 people were still trapped.
Erdogan's rapid decision to visit the mine near Ermenek contrasted with his delayed visit to Soma, the site of Turkey's most deadly mine disaster, in May. Erdogan drew criticism for his handling of that accident, which killed more than 300 people.
Erdogan, who was prime minister at the time of the Soma accident, faced protests by residents in the area and the families of miners, who said he had not been attentive enough to safety in mines. A photograph that appeared to show one of his advisers kicking a protester during the Soma unrest was widely circulated in the news media.
The Ermenek mine was inspected in June and sealed after safety violations were identified. It was reopened in September after the violations were addressed, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said late Tuesday, according to the television network CNN Turk.
More than 400 rescue workers, including divers, continued efforts overnight to extract miners, pumping water out with powerful discharge pipes.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Erdogan arrived in Ermenek later in the day.
"If there's negligence on part of any management or institution, they will definitely be accounted for," Davutoglu said. Referring to the lack of advanced technological infrastructure in Turkey's aging coal mines, he added, "Our mines should be rapidly modernized."
Critics of the government said mining safety has not improved since the Soma accident, which drew attention to poor working conditions and lax enforcement of safety rules.
"I have two sons under there," an unidentified man told CNN Turk late Tuesday night as he watched rescue operations.
"They made laws, didn't stick to them," he said. "They issued regulations, didn't stick to them. There's nothing more to say."
A Section on 10/30/2014