At least 150 people have been killed in a coal mine explosion in Turkey, authorities have said.

Disaster teams in Turkey have launched a massive rescue operation at a coal mine in the town of Soma, after an explosion and a fire has left many dead and hundreds more trapped underground.

Turkey’s disaster management agency drastically increased the death toll on Tuesday night from 17 to 151.

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According to local media reports the number killed could be even higher. The mayor of Manisa, Cengiz Ergun, told CNN Turk news channel that 157 had perished, citing health officials at the entrance of the mine. Some 600 workers were trapped at the time of the explosion, he added.

A power distribution unit exploded on Tuesday afternoon at a mine in the town 250km (155 miles) south of the capital Istanbul, local official Mehmet Bahattin Atci told reporters.

The blast triggered an electricity outage, making the elevators unusable and leaving hundreds of workers stranded underground.

Shape Created with Sketch. Turkey mine explosion Show all 39 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Turkey mine explosion 1/39 Turkey mine explosion People mourn in a graveyard in the western town of Soma after an explosion and a fire in a coal mine killed at least 284 workers 2/39 Turkey mine explosion A woman wipes a tear as people mourn in a graveyard 3/39 Turkey mine explosion Relatives of the victim and citizens attend the funeral of miner Ahmet Celik (34) who died at the coal mine fire disaster in Soma district of Manisa 4/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescue workers with breathing apparatus prepare to enter the mine in Soma 5/39 Turkey mine explosion Soma Holding owner Alp Gurkan (2nd L) shows during a press conference in Soma a picture of the mine where an explosion killed at least 284 workers. The operator of the mine denied charges of negligence, as the government warning that the toll from the blast would likely top 300, Turkey's prime minister faced fresh criticism after video emerged of him apparently shouting an anti-Israel slur at angry protesters during a visit the day after to the disaster site 6/39 Turkey mine explosion Funeral ceremony of twin miner brothers Ismail and Suleyman Cata Getty Images 7/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescue workers carry the dead body of a miner from the mine in Soma AP 8/39 Turkey mine explosion Miners react as bodies of their dead co-workers are carried out of the mine Getty Images 9/39 Turkey mine explosion Rows of open graves for the mine accident victims are seen in Soma, Turkey AP 10/39 Turkey mine explosion Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits injured miners at Akhisar Hospital in Manisa Getty Images 11/39 Turkey mine explosion A man prays beside a grave of a dead miner while workers dig graves and locals accompany the praying in a cemetary in Soma 12/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescuers carry out the dead – as many as 787 workers were in the mine on Tuesday when there was a huge explosion thought to have been caused by faulty electrical transformers Getty Images 13/39 Turkey mine explosion A woman reacts after seeing the dead body of a relative outside a coal mine in Soma 14/39 Turkey mine explosion Relatives of the miners killed in the coal mine fire in Soma, mourn outside a cold storage house where dead bodies of victims were borught for identification in Kiragac district of Manisa 15/39 Turkey mine explosion A miner rescued from the fire at a coal mine, is taken to hospital in Soma district of Manisa 16/39 Turkey mine explosion People mourn for their relatives after a mine explosion near Soma 17/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescuers pulled more dead and injured from the coal mine in western Turkey more than 12 hours after an explosion, bringing the death toll to 201 in the nation's worst mining disaster for decades 18/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescue teams carry a dead miner after they retrieved from the mine after an explosion near Soma 19/39 Turkey mine explosion Relatives of miners who were killed or injured in a mine explosion react as rescuers work in Soma 20/39 Turkey mine explosion A miner hugs a relative in front of a coal mine site in Soma 21/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescuers carry a miner who sustained injuries after a mine explosion, to an ambulance in Soma 22/39 Turkey mine explosion A miner came out helped by friends after an explosion in Manisa 23/39 Turkey mine explosion An injured miner is carried to an ambulance after being rescued from a coal mine he was in trapped in Soma 24/39 Turkey mine explosion An injured miner came out carried by rescuers after an explosion in Manisa 25/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescue workers react in Soma 26/39 Turkey mine explosion Relatives of miners react as they wait in front of a coal mine in Soma 27/39 Turkey mine explosion At least 201 miners died, 80 injured in a mine in the western Turkish province of Manisa where 787 miners work at the coal mine following a malfunction at an electrical transformer nearby 28/39 Turkey mine explosion Medics help a rescued miner AP 29/39 Turkey mine explosion A miner is carried to safety by medics AP 30/39 Turkey mine explosion Family members cry as they wait for news on their loved ones AP 31/39 Turkey mine explosion Medics, ambulances and relatives at the entrance of the mine AP 32/39 Turkey mine explosion A man kisses his son after he was rescued from the mine AFP/Getty Images 33/39 Turkey mine explosion An injured miner is carried out by rescuers Getty Images 34/39 Turkey mine explosion An injured miner came out carried by rescuers after an explosion in Manisa 35/39 Turkey mine explosion Miners help carry one of their injured co-workers AP 36/39 Turkey mine explosion Medics and fellow miners help carry out of their injured colleagues Getty Images 37/39 Turkey mine explosion Miners cry after receiving a dead colleague in Soma, Turkey EPA 38/39 Turkey mine explosion Search and rescue operations at the site of the explosion Cem Oksuz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images 39/39 Turkey mine explosion The coal mine fire in the west of Turkey has killed 201 miners and trapped hundreds underground in Manisa 1/39 Turkey mine explosion People mourn in a graveyard in the western town of Soma after an explosion and a fire in a coal mine killed at least 284 workers 2/39 Turkey mine explosion A woman wipes a tear as people mourn in a graveyard 3/39 Turkey mine explosion Relatives of the victim and citizens attend the funeral of miner Ahmet Celik (34) who died at the coal mine fire disaster in Soma district of Manisa 4/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescue workers with breathing apparatus prepare to enter the mine in Soma 5/39 Turkey mine explosion Soma Holding owner Alp Gurkan (2nd L) shows during a press conference in Soma a picture of the mine where an explosion killed at least 284 workers. The operator of the mine denied charges of negligence, as the government warning that the toll from the blast would likely top 300, Turkey's prime minister faced fresh criticism after video emerged of him apparently shouting an anti-Israel slur at angry protesters during a visit the day after to the disaster site 6/39 Turkey mine explosion Funeral ceremony of twin miner brothers Ismail and Suleyman Cata Getty Images 7/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescue workers carry the dead body of a miner from the mine in Soma AP 8/39 Turkey mine explosion Miners react as bodies of their dead co-workers are carried out of the mine Getty Images 9/39 Turkey mine explosion Rows of open graves for the mine accident victims are seen in Soma, Turkey AP 10/39 Turkey mine explosion Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits injured miners at Akhisar Hospital in Manisa Getty Images 11/39 Turkey mine explosion A man prays beside a grave of a dead miner while workers dig graves and locals accompany the praying in a cemetary in Soma 12/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescuers carry out the dead – as many as 787 workers were in the mine on Tuesday when there was a huge explosion thought to have been caused by faulty electrical transformers Getty Images 13/39 Turkey mine explosion A woman reacts after seeing the dead body of a relative outside a coal mine in Soma 14/39 Turkey mine explosion Relatives of the miners killed in the coal mine fire in Soma, mourn outside a cold storage house where dead bodies of victims were borught for identification in Kiragac district of Manisa 15/39 Turkey mine explosion A miner rescued from the fire at a coal mine, is taken to hospital in Soma district of Manisa 16/39 Turkey mine explosion People mourn for their relatives after a mine explosion near Soma 17/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescuers pulled more dead and injured from the coal mine in western Turkey more than 12 hours after an explosion, bringing the death toll to 201 in the nation's worst mining disaster for decades 18/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescue teams carry a dead miner after they retrieved from the mine after an explosion near Soma 19/39 Turkey mine explosion Relatives of miners who were killed or injured in a mine explosion react as rescuers work in Soma 20/39 Turkey mine explosion A miner hugs a relative in front of a coal mine site in Soma 21/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescuers carry a miner who sustained injuries after a mine explosion, to an ambulance in Soma 22/39 Turkey mine explosion A miner came out helped by friends after an explosion in Manisa 23/39 Turkey mine explosion An injured miner is carried to an ambulance after being rescued from a coal mine he was in trapped in Soma 24/39 Turkey mine explosion An injured miner came out carried by rescuers after an explosion in Manisa 25/39 Turkey mine explosion Rescue workers react in Soma 26/39 Turkey mine explosion Relatives of miners react as they wait in front of a coal mine in Soma 27/39 Turkey mine explosion At least 201 miners died, 80 injured in a mine in the western Turkish province of Manisa where 787 miners work at the coal mine following a malfunction at an electrical transformer nearby 28/39 Turkey mine explosion Medics help a rescued miner AP 29/39 Turkey mine explosion A miner is carried to safety by medics AP 30/39 Turkey mine explosion Family members cry as they wait for news on their loved ones AP 31/39 Turkey mine explosion Medics, ambulances and relatives at the entrance of the mine AP 32/39 Turkey mine explosion A man kisses his son after he was rescued from the mine AFP/Getty Images 33/39 Turkey mine explosion An injured miner is carried out by rescuers Getty Images 34/39 Turkey mine explosion An injured miner came out carried by rescuers after an explosion in Manisa 35/39 Turkey mine explosion Miners help carry one of their injured co-workers AP 36/39 Turkey mine explosion Medics and fellow miners help carry out of their injured colleagues Getty Images 37/39 Turkey mine explosion Miners cry after receiving a dead colleague in Soma, Turkey EPA 38/39 Turkey mine explosion Search and rescue operations at the site of the explosion Cem Oksuz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images 39/39 Turkey mine explosion The coal mine fire in the west of Turkey has killed 201 miners and trapped hundreds underground in Manisa

The exact number of people trapped is yet unknown, as the blast occurred as workers changed their shifts.

Atci had initially said the incident had left between 200 and 300 miners underground, but the figure was later revised to “more than 200 workers.”

“Evacuation efforts are underway. I hope that we are able to rescue them,” the country’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in televised comments.



In an attempt to help trapped miners survive, rescuers pumped fresh air underground, while rescue teams from neighbouring areas were rushed in to help rescue efforts, according to Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, who immediately went to Soma to oversee the rescue operation.

“It is a serious accident,” he told reporters.

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“Our priority is to reach our miner brothers," he said, adding: "any figure we give could well be wrong."

However, the rescue effort was being hampered by the fact that the mine was made up of tunnels that were miles long, said Cengiz Ergun, the leader of Manisa province, where the town is located.

“The situation inside is troubling,” Ergun told NTV television.



Meanwhile, hundreds of people had gathered outside the mine and the local hospital in Soma, in the hope that they would hear some news of their loved ones.

SOMA Komur Isletmeleri AS, which owns the mine, confirmed that a number of its workers were killed but would not give a specific figure. It said the accident occurred despite the “highest safety measures and constant controls” and added that an investigation was being launched.

“Our main priority is to get our workers out so that they may be reunited with their loved ones,” the company said in a statement.

Mining accidents are common in Turkey, where poor safety conditions in some facilities can put workers at risk.

Turkey's worst mining disaster was a 1992 gas explosion that killed 263 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.

Additional reporting by agencies