9th anniversary of Soma mining tragedy commemorated in Turkey.
Families of 301 Workers Remembered on 9th Anniversary of Soma Mining Disaster
The Soma district of Manisa in Turkey commemorated the ninth anniversary of a mining disaster that killed 301 workers. The tragedy occurred on May 13, 2014, when galleries were filled with smoke in the furnace operated by Soma Kömür İşletmeleri AŞ in the Eynez district of Soma. The victims included Ali Kavas, who was only on his fourth day at work. Speaking about the tragedy, Kavas said that he tried to hold on to life after losing his wife. Although nine years had passed, the families of the victims are still struggling to come to terms with the loss.
Ismail Çolak, the father of the martyred miner Uğur Çolak, is the chairman of the Soma 301 Miners’ Association, which was established after the disaster. He explained that the association is fighting to ensure that the miners’ rights are protected and that the miners are not forgotten. Although they cannot bring back the 301 miners who lost their lives in the disaster, they are struggling to ensure that they are not forgotten.
The miners’ families did not forget the helping hands extended to them after the disaster, and they equally helped during the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş on February 6. They will continue to do so, and they hope that the country never experiences such suffering again.
