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No sign of life from those missing in gold mine

More than a day after the landslide at a Turkish gold mine, none of the nine people buried under the rubble have been found. The people were buried in cars or containers, the Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Wednesday. Metal detectors are being used in the search.

As reported , a landslide occurred on the site of the gold mine in Erzincan in eastern Turkey on Tuesday (see video above). The causes are not yet known. Images showed a huge amount of earth falling down a slope into a valley.

Toxic cyanides
Several organizations have now warned of an environmental disaster due to toxic cyanides that could be released into the nearby Euphrates River. However, representatives of the government initially denied this. The operating company Anagold also stated that the landslide had not caused any environmental pollution.

Cyanides are used to dissolve gold from the rock. They are highly toxic, said Michael Tost, professor at the University of Leoben. The landslide could have been triggered by heavy rain or an earthquake. According to Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, four people have so far been arrested in connection with the disaster.