Turkey Mine Where 284 Perished Had No Rescue Chambers

A Turkish coal mine where more than 280 workers were killed by a fire this week didn’t have a rescue chamber, which isn’t required by law, the company’s owner said.

“Rescue chambers are not obligatory under the mining law,” Alp Gurkan, chairman of Soma Mining, told a televised press conference today. He said the company would build such rooms in a few months so that miners could take shelter there in the event of another accident.