Wednesday 14 May 2014 16.34 The death toll from yesterday's explosion and fire at a coal mine in Turkey has risen to at least 238, according to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mr Erdogan was inspecting the site of the accident in the western town of Soma, about 240km south of Istanbul in Turkey's Aegean region.
An estimated 120 workers are still believed to remain trapped in the mine, he added.
At least 80 people were injured in the explosion and fire in the western Manisa province mine.
About 787 miners were working underground when the incident happened.
Mine operator Soma Komur says that nearly 450 of its workers were rescued after the fire.
Officials said many miners died of prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning. Four are said to be in critical condition.
The deadly incident occurred at a privately-owned mine in Soma, following an electrical fault during a shift changeover.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said the fire broke out 150 metres underground.
The trapped workers are thought to be about 3.5km from the mine entrance.
President Abdullah Gul has ordered the Manisa governor's office to use all means available to help state officials with the rescue operation.
Mr Yildiz said the Turkish government would continue to the best of its ability in rescuing trapped miners.
However, he said the death toll could rise further and that the chances of finding survivors were diminishing.
Currently, at least 430 people are engaged in the rescue work, which has involved two helicopters, 32 ambulances and police forces.
Rescue workers pumped oxygen into the mine, trying to keep the trapped miners alive, with family members and friends waiting anxiously.
Thousands of family members and fellow workers have gathered outside the town's hospital waiting for information.
Teams of psychiatrists are being pulled together to help counsel the families of victims.
Paramilitary police are guarding the entrance to the mine to keep distressed relatives at a safe distance from the rescue effort.
A cold storage warehouse, usually used for food, and freezer trucks are serving as makeshift morgues as hospital facilities are overflowed.
A Turkish government official said three days of mourning have been declared.
The latest explosion is one of the numerous mining accidents that Turkey has had in recent years.
Accidents, cave-ins, and explosions claim the lives of dozens of mine workers each year.
The worst mining tragedy in Turkey occurred in 1992, when a fire and explosion killed 263 people.
View our gallery of images of the rescue efforts
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