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Miners Still Trapped In Turkey

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Anger and grief boiled over into a violent protest Wednesday in the western Turkish town of Soma, where officials said at least 245 miners died in a coal mine explosion and fire.

Nearly 450 other miners were rescued, the mining company said, but the fate of an unknown number of others remained unclear in one of the world's deadliest mining disasters in decades.

There was no immediate confirmation of the company's number from Turkish officials, who earlier said 363 miners had been rescued.

Tensions were high as hundreds of relatives and miners jostled outside the coal mine waiting for news, countered by a heavy police presence. Rows of women wailed uncontrollably, men knelt sobbing and others just stared in disbelief as rescue workers removed a steady stream of bodies throughout the night and early morning. Others shouted at Turkish officials as they passed by.

Guest

  • Noah Blaser, freelance journalist on the site of the mine disaster in Soma, Turkey. He tweets @nblaser18.

This segment aired on May 14, 2014.

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