England, February 24: Turkish officials now say the death toll from a methane explosion in a coal mine in the northwest of the country is 13.
The Anatolia news agency reported today that Labor minister Omer Dincer said the initial toll of 17 dead was inaccurate.
The agency has clarified that that 13 workers were killed and 18 hospitalised after the explosion in the mine in Balikesir province last night evening.
Four survivors were in critical condition, Dincer said after visiting the hospital where the miners were treated, Anatolia reported.
Forty-six people were working in the mine when a pocket of methane caught fire at a depth of 820 feet (76 metres) company officials said.
Seventeen people were reportedly killed in the same mine in a 2006 accident.
Explosions and cave-ins are not uncommon in Turkey, particularly in privately-run mines where respect for safety regulations is often minimal.
In December, 19 workers were killed when a coal mine in Bursa province in the northwest caved in after the miners set off some dynamite.
—Agencies