Hopes are fading of finding alive 18 Turkish coal miners trapped when their shaft was engulfed by water, as rescue workers made last-ditch efforts to find survivors.
Tuesday's accident in southern Turkey was the latest to hit the country's disaster-prone mining industry after 301 workers were killed in a coal mine explosion in May.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said divers had entered the flooded mine in the province of Karaman but visibility was poor and they were unable to go more than a few metres deep.
"Every moment that goes by is bad for our (trapped) workers. Time is working against us. With every passing minute, our hopes are reduced," he said in comments broadcast by Turkish television.
He said an estimated 10-12 tonnes of water had filled the shaft at the privately-owned mine in the village of Pamuklu.
In a poignant development, Turkish media reported that the wife of one of the trapped miners, named as Huseyin Gultekin, had given birth to his baby son on Tuesday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would be travelling to the scene, and insisted there was still a chance of finding the miners alive.
"Our expectations and our hopes have not been lost. Our friends and ministers are continuing to work and make efforts there," he said in comments broadcast by state television.
The miners are believed to be trapped in a flooded shaft more than 300 metres underground.
At least 34 workers were underground at the time of the accident on Tuesday but 16 escaped unscathed.
Yildiz confirmed late on Tuesday there had been no contact with any of the trapped miners.
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