[imagesource:rawpixel]

Authorities say that nine people have gone missing after a landslip damaged a gold mine in eastern Turkey.
A terrifying video from the area appeared to show a river of mud flowing over the valley where the mine is located.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the nine were thought to be stuck in the mine, and that rescuers from surrounding regions were helping to search for the poor men.  The mine is owned and operated by Anagold Mining.

According to the company’s statement, the landslide happened around 14:28 local time. It stated that it had promptly “activated its emergency plan and notified relevant public institutions and organisations.”

The Chamber of Mining Engineers has now warned authorities that cyanide stockpiled in the mine might pollute the surrounding region after the landslide. In 2022, an accident at the same mine resulted in the leak of around 20 tonnes of cyanide-containing solution, prompting concerns about the neighbouring Euphrates River. The mine lies in Erzincan province, around 600 kilometres east of Ankara.

Turkey has a sketchy record when it comes to mining with several mining accidents in recent years. In 2022, a coal mine explosion killed 42 people.

Video of the incident shows just how massive the landslide was:

[source:bbc]