19/05/2014 13:50
Arrests in deadly Turkish mine fire
Four people have been arrested in connection with last week's coal mine fire in Soma, Turkey, that killed 301 miners, CNN reported, citing the country's semiofficial Anadolu news agency.
Soma Coal Mining Company operating manager Akin Celik, engineers Yalcin Erdogan and Ertan Ersoy, and security chief Yasin Kurnaz were taken into custody Sunday, the agency said, citing Turkish prosecutor Bekir Sahiner.
Twenty-five people were detained and questioned, Anadolu reported.
The search for victims of Tuesday's fire ended Saturday. Authorities believe they have now recovered the bodies of all the workers who perished.
The investigation into what caused the deadliest disaster in Turkish mining history continues, the Natural Disaster and Emergency Coordination Directorate said.
The last bodies were pulled out Saturday afternoon, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said.
However, as the recovery effort comes to an end, controversy over Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's response to the tragedy refuses to blow over.