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At least 41 people have been killed in a coal mine explosion in Turkey – with dozens more still trapped inside.

The state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra was rocked by the blast at around 6:45pm on Friday, with emergency services working through the night to pull trapped workers to the surface.

Some 110 people were in the mine at the time of the eruption, which the country’s energy minister said was caused by firedamp – a reference to flammable gases found at the site.

The government said 17 people have been injured, including eight who are in intensive care.

One worker made his own way out of the mine and described feeling “pressure” but was unable to see anything due to the dust and dirt, the DHA news agency reported.

Most of the workers were able to evacuate following the blast, but 49 were trapped in a higher risk area of the facility, interior minister Suleyman Soylu said.

An aerial view of the coal mine in Amasra
Image:
An aerial view of the coal mine in Amasra

“We are faced with a picture that we truly regret, that we regret to have to share (with the public),” Mr Soylu said.

Several rescue teams were dispatched to the area, including from neighbouring provinces, Turkey’s disaster management agency, AFAD, added.

Relatives and friends of the miners faced an anxious overnight wait outside the facility, with many bracing for bad news.

Relatives and friends of mine workers wait outside the coal mine after an explosion, in Amasra in the northern Bartin province, Turkey October 15, 2022. REUTERS/Cagla Gurdogan
Rescue workers rest outside the coal mine
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Rescue workers rest outside the coal mine

President cancels planned trip to deal with mine incident

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cancelled a planned visit to the southeastern city of Diyarbakir and instead travelled to Amasra to coordinate the rescue operation himself on Saturday.

He said three prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the incident.

“Our hope is that the loss of life does not increase further, that our miners are saved,” Mr Erdogan said in a statement.

“All our efforts are geared in that direction.

“We don’t want to see deficiencies or unnecessary risks”, the president said, adding that an investigation would reveal if anyone is responsible for the blast.

Left-wing trade union, DISK, said the deaths were preventable and claimed some safety precautions had been ignored – as union leader Arzu Cerkezoglu branded the explosion a “massacre”.

President Erdogan addresses the media during a visit to the coal mine site
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President Erdogan addresses the media during a visit to the coal mine site
Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu, right, helps carry a coffin of one of the miners killed in the explosion Pic: AP
Image:
Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu, right, helps carry a coffin of one of the miners killed in the explosion Pic: AP

Funerals begin as rescue efforts continue

Mourners said their final goodbye to miners killed in the explosion as funerals were held on Saturday.

Mr Soylu was pictured helping to carry the coffin of Selcuk Ayvaz, whose coffin was draped in a red and white Turkish flag.

Another victim, Aziz Kose, 28, held his newborn baby just days before the tragedy claimed his life.

Most of the victims are believed to come from working class families and worked the coal mines to make a living.

Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, also offered rescue assistance – despite tensions with neighbouring Turkey.

In Turkey’s worst mine disaster, a total of 301 people died in 2014 in a fire inside a coal mine in the town of Soma, in the west of the country.

Just five months later, 18 miners perished after a coal mine flooded in central Karaman province.

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The most significant part of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s olive branch offering to Donald Trump

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The most significant part of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's olive branch offering to Donald Trump

Ukraine’s president is offering an olive branch to Donald Trump with a dramatic public message aimed at mending their relationship and ending Russia’s war.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy chose social media – the US leader’s favourite mode of communication – to make his point.

He did not go so far as to apologise for a fiery bust-up with Mr Trump at the Oval Office last Friday – a move that some members of the US administration have called for, even though it was the American president and his deputy JD Vance who laid into Mr Zelenskyy.

Instead, he described the encounter as “regrettable”, saying it “did not go the way it was supposed to be” and it was “time to make things right”.

Ukrainian servicemen fire a BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket system toward Russian troops on a front line near the town of Chasiv Yar
Tuesday, 25th February 2025, 08:48
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Ukrainian forces fire a missile towards Russian troops near Chasiv Yar. Pic: Reuters

Most significantly though was his spelling out of a vision for the first stage of how Russia’s war with Ukraine could end.

Pushing back on false claims by Trump allies such as Elon Musk that Mr Zelenskyy wants an endless war, he said that Ukraine is committed to peace and is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible.

Crucially, he said: “We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky – ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure – and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same.”

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Appealing to the US president’s ego, he praised Mr Trump’s “strong leadership” and repeated his gratitude for past American support – again responding to criticism from the American commander in chief and his team that he is not showing enough gratitude.

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He also said Kyiv was ready to sign a key minerals deal with Washington – something else Mr Trump is seeking.

This message appears to be an attempt by Mr Zelenskyy to steer his relationship with Mr Trump back on track and to map out his idea for an end to the war – a conflict that Ukraine did not seek but which was brought to its land by Russia’s invading forces.

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. Pic: AP
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Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, before their Oval Office bust-up. Pic: AP

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Key now will be how the US president responds.

Will Mr Zelenskyy’s expression of regret and clear wish to end the war provide enough of an off-ramp for Mr Trump to defuse the row and – for the sake of Ukraine’s ability to defend itself – switch back on the flow of military assistance to the country?

Another major factor, of course, is how Vladimir Putin reacts and whether he could countenance a limited ceasefire in a war that he started and – unlike Mr Zelenskyy – appears to have no genuine desire to halt.

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Donald Trump confirms Mexico and Canada tariffs – prompting a stock sell-off

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Donald Trump confirms Mexico and Canada tariffs - prompting a stock sell-off

Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada have come into effect, as has an additional 10% on Chinese products, bringing the total import tax to 20%.

The US president confirmed the tariffs in a speech at the White House – and his announcement sent US and European stocks down sharply.

The tariffs will be felt heavily by US companies which have factories in Canada and Mexico, such as carmakers.

Mr Trump said: “They’re going to have a tariff. So what they have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs.”

There’s “no room left” for a deal that would see the tariffs shelved if fentanyl flowing into the US is curbed by its neighbours, he added.

Mexico and Canada face tariffs of 25%, with 10% for Canadian energy, the Trump administration confirmed.

And tariffs on Chinese imports have doubled, raising them from 10% to 20%.

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Canada announced it would retaliate immediately, imposing 25% tariffs on US imports worth C$30bn (£16.3bn). It added the tariffs would be extended in 21 days to cover more US goods entering the country if the US did not lift its sanctions against Canada.

China also vowed to retaliate and reiterated its stance that the Trump administration was trying to “shift the blame” and
“bully” Beijing over fentanyl flows.

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What is America’s trade position?

Mr Trump’s speech stoked fears of a trade war in North America, prompting a financial market sell-off.

Stock market indexes the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite fell by 1.48% and 2.64% respectively on Monday.

The share prices for automobile companies including General Motors, which has significant truck production in Mexico, Automaker and Ford also fell.

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Consumers in the US could see price hikes within days, an expert has said.

Gustavo Flores-Macias, a public policy professor at Cornell University, New York, said “the automobile sector, in particular, is likely to see considerable negative consequences”.

This is due to supply chains that “crisscross the three countries in the manufacturing process” and ” because of the expected increase in the price of vehicles, which can dampen demand,” he added.

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The Trump administration is gearing up to bring in other tariffs in the coming weeks.

On 2 April, reciprocal tariffs will take effect on all countries that impose duties on US products.

He is also considering 25% tariffs on goods from the EU “very soon” after claiming the bloc was created to “screw the United States”.

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More than 30 killed in Bolivia bus crash – second deadly collision within days

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More than 30 killed in Bolivia bus crash - second deadly collision within days

A truck has collided with a bus in southern Bolivia, killing at least 31 people, according to police – just two days after a deadly crash claimed at least 37 lives.

Officers said the bus rolled some 500m (1,640ft) down a ravine after the collision on Monday, which took place on the highway between Oruro, in the Bolivian Altiplano, and the highland mining city of Potosi.

The driver of the truck has been arrested, while the cause of the accident is under investigation.

Police spokesperson Limbert Choque said men and women were among the dead, and 22 people suffered injuries.

** on right of picture are bodies ** First responders work at the site after a crash between a vehicle and a bus along a highway in Lenas, Potosi, southern Bolivia, March 3, 2025, in this handout image obtained from social media. Bolivia's Attorney General/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT
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Rescue teams operating at the site of the crash. Pic: Bolivia’s attorney general/Reuters

Bolivia’s President, Luis Arce, expressed condolences for the victims on social media: “This unfortunate event must be investigated to establish responsibilities,” he said in a post on Facebook.

“We send our most sincere condolences to the bereaved families, wishing them the necessary strength to face these difficult times.”

Map showing location of collision, which took place on the highway between Oruro, in the Bolivian Altiplano, and the highland mining city of Potosi.
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The crash happened between Oruro and Potosi

On Saturday morning, a crash between two buses killed more than three dozen people in the same region.

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It happened between Colchani and the city of Uyuni, a major tourist attraction and the world’s largest salt flat.

People stand near the wreckage of one of the two buses involved in the crash.
Pic: Reuters/Potosi Departmental Command
Image:
People stand near the wreckage of one of the two buses involved in a crash on Saturday. Pic: Reuters/Potosi Departmental Command

Coincidentally, one of the buses was heading to Oruro, where one of the most important carnival celebrations in Latin America is currently taking place.

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More than 30 people were also killed after a bus crash on 17 February.

In that crash, police said the driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle, causing it to drop more than 800m (2,600ft) off a precipice in the southwestern area of Yocalla.

Bolivia’s mountainous, undermaintained and poorly supervised roads are some of the deadliest in the world, claiming an average 1,400 fatalities every year.

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