IRVINE, Calif., May 14, 2014 – The Orange County Turkish American Association (OCTAA) mourns the deaths and expresses its sympathies with the families of estimated 274 coal miners killed in a tragic mine explosion on May 13 in Soma, a district in the western Turkish province of Manisa. Following an explosion at the private mine owned by Soma Kömür İşletmeleri A.Ş., a fire broke out resulting in a carbon monoxide poisoning of the escaping miners. As many as 120 miners were trapped inside the mine on Wednesday.
As emergency teams continue their rescue efforts, our thoughts and prayers are with the miners who were injured or trapped underground. OCTAA supports the Soma Disaster Relief program organized by the Turkish Philanthropy Fund (TPF) and appeals to the community in Orange County to contribute to this effort.