Minister: There is no threat to public health in water and soil

Energy and natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, along with Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, provided an update on the current situation at the mining site in the İliç district of Erzincan, where the collapse of the leach pile occurred.

Interior Minister Yerlikaya noted that search and rescue efforts have been ongoing for the nine miners trapped under the leach pile for the past six days.

Providing details on the current situation, Yerlikaya stated: "In the area we have surveyed, there is a mass of 35 million cubic meters of soil. When the soil slid, a new mass came to the valley, which we call the streambed, covering an area of 5 million cubic meters."

Speaking about the search and rescue operation, Yerlikaya mentioned, "AFAD has had over 500 teams involved from the beginning. We have exceeded 2700 people. We have 800 vehicles. We have no shortages in terms of vehicles and manpower. We all have a single intention, to complete this task as soon as possible."

"Temporary evacuation to a designated area"

He emphasized that the priority is currently the nine lives under the soil. Minister Yerlikaya expressed gratitude for the patience and understanding of the families, stating, "We visited each of their relatives. They also come here. We are grateful for their patience, which is currently what we need most."

Explaining the plan in the context of such a large mass of soil movement, Yerlikaya stated, "In the targeted area, we are evacuating the soil to a temporary storage area in a safe environment. We are currently conducting evacuations of the soil movement site with 60 excavators and daily movements of about a thousand to one thousand five hundred trucks."

"No threat to public health"

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar reassured the public, stating that there is no threat to public health in the water and soil, and he added:

"There is a very large mass, and it has flowed into three different points. The State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) is controlling the movement of water here with intensive efforts. All precautions regarding taking control of a new water movement have been taken. There is no situation threatening public health in the water or soil. We hope to achieve results in the search and rescue operation as soon as possible. Until that documentation is renewed, no activity can take place." (AS/VK)