Turkish prime minister says 238 killed in coal mine disaster

14/05/2014 - 14:05

SOMA Turkey (Reuters) - The death toll in a coal mine disaster in western Turkey rose to 238 on Wednesday, with 80 more injured, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

"According to the first indications, 238 of our workers lost their lives and 80 were injured," Erdogan told a news conference after visiting the mine in Soma, about 480 kilometres (298 miles) southwest of Istanbul.

(Writing by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Nick Tattersall)