Mother of killed miner: 'Everybody has left, we are left with pain'

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Mustafa Can Yıldırım was 23. He was the last miner whose dead body was taken out of the mine in Bartın in the coal gas explosion where 41 miners lost their lives on October 14.

His mother Nurten Yıldırım talked to bianet about what happened the next day. She said, "They said 'all bodies have been taken out' and closed the mine. But our son was still missing. We did not know if he was dead or if he was alive. In the end, they found another body between carriages. This was how my son was found."

The first thing you feel coming to Amasra is deep mourning. People are both curious about what will happen... And they are also very sad, those who lost someone from their families, and those who have not.

ID check for journalists

Identity cards of journalists are checked frequently in the district where five days have now passed after the explosion. And only journalists with a press card approved by the Presidency are allowed in the mine where the event took place. There are also claims that the workers are instructed "not to speak."

Nurten Yıldırım told bianet that four funerals had arrived in their village.

"What we lived was a second torment for us"

"My son's name is Mustafa Can Yıldırım. He was 23. He was the last to be taken out of the mine. At first, there were even discussions on if he went to another mine. But they clock in with their cards before entering. My son had also done this. However, he was not among the dead bodies found. We did not know if he was dead or alive. What we lived through was a second torment for us."

"Maintenance was not carried out"

The mother of the young miner also said, "My son had told us that maintenance was going to be carried out in the mine this month and that they would be making a holiday, but it was not. I had even told him that he could do his military service during this break. He was going to do paid military service in Manisa. He had already made the payment."

"Only six days of training"

"There was no experienced worker among them. All of them were newly employed. Why only six days of training has been given to our children? What can they learn in only six days? There were no experienced miners with them who knew the profession well. We are so sad. We believe that there is negligence here. We want this negligence to be uncovered."
"I will follow hard on this. But the authorities should do the same. (EMK/AÖ/PE/VK)