Rescue workers have completed their search in Turkey's worst mining disaster after retrieving the bodies of the last two missing miners on Saturday morning.

The death toll now stands at 301 from the fire that devastated a coalmine in Soma, western Turkey.

Final rescue efforts were delayed after a new fire broke out underground on Friday night. Rescue teams were seen retreating as firefighters moved in to tackle the blaze.

"Our efforts will be coming to an end," the energy minister, Taner Yıldız, said earlier. "However, our friends will be scouring all corners once again."

Fury has swept Turkey over authorities' handling of the disaster. On Friday Turkish police used teargas, plastic bullets and water cannon to disperse hundreds of demonstrators in the town of Soma. About 1,500 protesters chanted anti-government slogans after the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said: "This is what happens in coalmining."

Yusef Yerkel, a close aide to Erdoğan, was photographed kicking a man believed to be grieving for relatives lost in the disaster. The prime minister's office distanced itself from the incident, with one official saying the issue was Yerkel's "own personal matter."

The Milliyet newspaper has published details of what it said was a preliminary report by a mine safety expert who went into the Soma mine.

It suggested that smouldering coal may have caused the roof of the mine to collapse. The report said that support beams were made of wood, not metal, and there were not enough carbon monoxide sensors.

Erdoğan has requested an inquiry into the disaster but his ruling Justice and Development party has refused to accept responsibility. The labour minister, Faruk Çelik, said that although investigations have been launched "there is no report that has emerged yet".

Erdoğan's deputy Hüseyin Çelik said: "There's no negligence with respect to this incident." He said the mine in Soma "was inspected vigorously 11 times since 2009.

"Let's learn from this pain and rectify our mistakes. The private sector and the public sector will draw lessons," he said. "This is not the time to look for a scapegoat."

But Tamer Küçükgencay, the chairman of the regional miners' union, said: "This mine was constantly inspected and certified as safe. The investigation into who is responsible for this accident has to start with those inspectors." He added: "It is sad that Turkey is still number one in Europe when it comes to work accidents."

The mine's owner, Alp Gürkan, also refused to take responsibility, saying his company had invested heavily in resources to ensure the safety. "We have spent our income to improve working conditions to avoid possible accidents," he said.

But one miner, Erdal Bicak, has spoken out about the disaster, blaming company negligence. Bicak, 24, told the Associated Press: "The company is guilty.

"The new gas levels had got too high and they didn't tell us in time." He claimed that government safety inspectors had never visited the lower levels of the coalmine and had no idea about the poor conditions.

Bicak had just finished a shift and was making his way to the surface when managers ordered him to go back underground because of a problem in the mine.

He and his friend slapped each other to stay conscious as smoke poured through the tunnel as they tried to leave. "I told my friend: 'I can't go on. Leave me here. I'm going to die,'" Bicak said.

The pair escaped but Bicak's leg was badly injured. He said his mining career is over. "I'm not going to be a miner any more. God gave me a chance and now I'm done," he said.