The final four bodies have been discovered in the İliç district of Turkey’s eastern Erzincan (Erzîngan) province, more than three months after a catastrophic landslide at a gold mine containing the country’s largest cyanide pool killed nine miners, reports the Sur News Agency.
Tons of contaminated soil slid into the mine in the disaster on 13 February, causing significant environmental damage and trapping the nine workers underground.
The destruction inside the gold mine was so severe that it caused the release of a flood of toxic substances including cyanide, known to be lethal to living organisms. These toxins later found their way into the Euphrates River, posing an immediate threat not only to the ecosystem, but also to human health in the regions downstream that depend on these waters.
As rescue operations were underway in February, a documentary-style TV mini-series “Eko Eko Eko” took centre stage in national discussions in Turkey for its eerily accurate prophecy, which had been disregarded by the authorities.
“Eko Eko Eko”, released in 2023 and aired on Turkey’s BluTV on 3 February 2024, garnered significant attention for its prophetic insight into what has become Turkey’s most severe ecological disaster. The series poignantly outlined the risks posed by the mine’s location next to the Euphrates River and on an active seismic fault line.
The series critically examined the Turkish government’s deregulatory policies under the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which prioritised foreign investment over environmental protection and public welfare.
The identities of the miners will be confirmed by DNA testing, according to the Sur Agency.
Six people were arrested on 24 May, including Cengiz Yalçın Demirci, the chair of the board of directors for Anagold, the company that owns the mine, following an expert report on the disaster.
