DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Rescue teams sought to free 13 workers trapped in a copper mine in southeast Turkey on Friday after it was hit by a landslide which killed at least three people, the local governor's office said.
It said the landslide occurred in the Sirvan district of Siirt province during work at the privately-owned mine. The dead body of one worker had been retrieved and two more bodies have been located, it added.
The landslide was believed to have been caused by heavy rain but an investigation was continuing while rescue teams from across the region took part in the operation, the statement said.
Media reports on Thursday evening said at least four people had died in what they described as a mine collapse.
Workplace accidents are not rare in Turkey. Its rapid growth over the past decade has seen a construction boom and a scramble to meet soaring energy and commodities demand, with worker safety standards often failing to keep pace.
Its safety record in mining, particularly coal, has been poor for decades, with its worst accident in May 2014 when an explosion killed 301 workers in the western town of Soma.