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Funerals were held for Cengizhan Bükrübaş (25), Murat Kaya (38) and Recep Çolakoğlu (45), who died in a methane explosion at a private coal mine in the Gelik town of Zonguldak's Kilimli district yesterday.

The three were buried in their home villages after ceremonies attended by relatives, lawmakers, mining officials and residents.

Mourners gather in three villages

The bodies of the three workers were taken from the morgue of Zonguldak Atatürk State Hospital. Bükrübaş was first brought to his family home in Muharremşah village in the Perşembe town of the Çaycuma district, where prayers were recited and permission for burial was sought. The funeral prayer was then held at Merkez Mosque and Bükrübaş was buried in the village cemetery.

Bükrübaş had worked as a miner for about three years. The worker's father, İsmail Bükrübaş, is reported to have retired from the same mine.

Kaya, a miner with 15 years of experience and a father of one, was taken to the mosque of the Kartaloğlu neighborhood in Aşağı Sarmaşık village in the Saltukova town of Çaycuma. After the midday prayer, Kaya was buried in the village cemetery. At the ceremony, Kaya's 14-year-old son Ömer and father Celal Kaya, who struggled to stay standing, remained beside the coffin.

Çolakoğlu was taken to his family home in the Alibüyük neighborhood of Osmanlı village, where the Qur'an was recited, prayers were said and permission for burial was sought. Çolakoğlu's spouse Canan and children Yağmur (17), Rüzgar Mert (12) and Elif Çolakoğlu (10) wept during the ceremony. After the funeral prayer, Çolakoğlu was buried in the village cemetery.

Çolakoğlu is reported to have retired from a licensed mine last year before taking a job at the private mine where Çolakoğlu died.

Officials and union leaders attend

Zonguldak Governor Osman Hacıbektaşoğlu offered condolences to the families of the dead miners.

The ceremonies drew the miners' families as well as AK Party Zonguldak MP Ahmet Çolakoğlu, Yeni Parti Zonguldak MP Deniz Yavuzyılmaz, Turkish Hard Coal Enterprise General Manager Muharrem Kiraz and General Miners' Union President Hakan Yeşil, along with representatives of political parties and non-governmental organizations, other miners and residents.

Çolakoğlu's funeral was also attended by Deputy Governor Mutlu Almalı, AK Party Zonguldak MPs Muammer Avcı and Saffet Bozkurt, Yeni Parti Zonguldak MP Eylem Ertuğ Ertuğrul, AK Party provincial chair Mustafa Çağlayan, mayors, political party representatives and citizens.

Explosion and aftermath

The methane blast occurred yesterday at the private coal mine in the Dereiçi area of Gelik in Kilimli. Cengizhan Bükrübaş, Recep Çolakoğlu and Murat Kaya were brought out of the mine and pronounced dead.

Five workers were injured and taken to hospital: Cemal Arslan (45), Okan Dinçer (38), Soner Dinçer (34), Ercan Akdal (40) and Kurtuluş Elmas (38). Two of them, Cemal Arslan and Okan Dinçer, were transferred to Ankara.

The mine's manager, identified only as M.S.D., occupational health and safety specialist E.Y. and mining engineer Y.Ç. have been detained in connection with the incident.

Key takeaways

• Three miners died in a methane explosion at a private coal mine in Gelik, Kilimli, yesterday.
• Funerals for Cengizhan Bükrübaş, Murat Kaya and Recep Çolakoğlu were held in their home villages in Çaycuma.
• Five other workers were injured, with two transferred to Ankara.
• The mine manager, an occupational health and safety specialist and a mining engineer were detained.