There is no news from 9 workers who were buried under the rubble as a result of the cyanide-laden landslide in the gold mine in Erzincan İliç.
There are many allegations, from the EIA report taken for the gold mine operated by an American company with its local partners to the pool where cyanide waste is collected.
It was also revealed that the mine, whose operations were previously stopped due to the cyanide leak, was warned about the threat of slippage in the soil piles.
Unfortunately, a new one was added to the mining accidents in Turkey in Erzincan İliç.
It was shared that cyanide soil was recorded and that 9 workers were not heard from in the gold mine operated by an American company that has been operating in Turkey for years with its local partners.
After the cyanide-laden soil pile shifted, many confusing claims were made about the American company and the government.
While many claims, from the EIA report for the gold mine to the pool where cyanide waste was collected, caused confusion, it was also revealed that warnings were made against the threat of slipping in cyanide-containing soil piles.
In addition to all these, the proximity of the gold mine's cyanide pool to the Euphrates River raises concerns that it could lead to a serious environmental disaster.
IT MAY CAUSE A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER
It is claimed that there may have been negligence in the disaster in the gold mine. According to these claims, the company was informed that the cyanide soil piles could be demolished.
However, as a result of not taking any precautions, millions of cubic meters of cyanide soil were deposited. While it is discussed that floating cyanide soil can reach the Euphrates River with rainwater, it is also claimed that the company spreads waste cyanide into the atmosphere to prevent the waste cyanide pool from being filled.
In this context, the company's activities were previously suspended due to the cyanide leak. In addition to all these, the cyanide pool of the gold mine in İliç, Erzincan is 300 meters away from the Euphrates River.
It is predicted that the American company, which uses 11 thousand tons of cyanide and 122 thousand tons of sulfuric acid annually, may cause a global environmental disaster due to its negligence.
THE COMPANY SAID IT WAS DOING A PROFITABLE BUSINESS IN TURKEY
In a statement made in the past by an official of a foreign gold mining company operating in Turkey, "We are working on 3 gold mines in Turkey. We have made an investment of 100 million dollars in Turkey in the last 9 years. We were very successful in the excavations. After the first excavations, which we started with a small investment, we found 3 million ounces of gold. Its market capitalization is over $4 billion. This is where the added value lies. Our approach is very reliable. If you are in the mining business, you need to have a very long-term perspective. We have been there since 2009. We made our first production in 2020 and 15 years of production awaits us. When we did the feasibility study, the dollar was 2.9 TL. In the current period, the dollar has risen. This has a serious impact on our capital expenditures, because 65 percent of construction costs are in TL. This situation is of great benefit to us," it was stated.
4 SUSPECTS WERE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
The investigation launched into the landslide in the mine in İliç continues. In this context, 4 suspects who were found to be working as managers and administrators in the company operating the mine were detained.
Rescue efforts for the workers continue
Following the disaster, statements came one after another from the ministers who went to the region.
Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya said that after the landslide in the mine in Erzincan, a total of 827 personnel, including 339 search and rescue personnel, were working in the region, consisting of AFAD, JAK, Turkish Armed Forces, General Directorate of Security, miners and non-governmental organizations.
Yerlikaya stated that according to the initial findings, 9 workers were trapped under the sliding mass and search and rescue efforts for the workers continued uninterruptedly.
"It is considered that 5 of the friends we called were in the container, 3 were in the vehicle and in the same area, and our other driver was in the truck in a different area," Yerlikaya said.