20 KILLED, 300 TRAPPED IN TURKEY COAL MINE COLLAPSE

At least 300 miners are trapped after an explosion caused a fire triggering a collapse at a coal mine in the western Turkish province of Manisa.

Local member of parliament Muzaffer Yurttas said 20 workers had been killed at the mine in Soma, citing health officials.

"Twenty workers were killed and 30 were wounded in the accident. They died of choking and burns," Yurttas told local TV station NTV.

Al Jazeera's Serpil Karacan reporting from Istanbul said the mine employed more than 500 people and at least 200 people had finished their shift, leaving 300 still trapped at the site.

The accident is reported to have occurred 2km inside the mine, with local administrator Mehmet Bahattin Atci blaming the explosion on a power distribution unit.

Source: Al Jazeera