Two workers killed in chromium mine in southern Turkey

Two miners working in a chromium mine lost their lives and three more were hospitalized on May 17, after a gas leak in a mine shaft, local officials have announced.

The miners working in the Ye?ilova district of the southern province of Burdur, were poisoned by the leak, according to the preliminary investigation, Burdur Governor Hasan Kürklü stated, adding that an investigation was underway into the cause of the tragedy.

Ömer Özcan, 35, and his nephew Engin Özcan, 34, died in the mine due to gas poisoning. 

Miners ?brahim Örki and Mustafa Örki were discharged from the intensive care unit on May 18, while another worker Ali ?hsan Özcan remained in intensive care.

A total of 15 miners were working in the mine.

Mustafa Örki told reporters that the air conditioning system in the mine was not working when the incident took place. 

?brahim Örki, meanwhile, told reporters in the hospital that the incident took place in an area where equipment was located. 

"First the head-miner went there. He did not return so I went to check him. He had fainted. I felt a headache and then fainted. I don't remember the rest," said Örki, adding that the air conditioning was not working at that time.

The incident comes just over a year after 301 miners were killed after a fire at a coalmine in the Soma district of western Turkey, the country's worst ever industrial disaster, which raised new questions about work safety standards.