Seven detained, one sought over Turkey mine disaster

Seven people were detained Saturday as part of an investigation into the flooding of a mine in Karaman province in central Turkey, Turkish energy minister confirmed.

Taner Yıldız said that those detained included executives and engineers of the mine and that one person was still sought by the police.

The October 28 flooding of the coal mine in Karaman's Ermenek town trapped 18 workers. On Thursday, search and rescue teams found the bodies of two of the miners.

Rescue efforts were "becoming progressively harder" in the deeper areas of the mine, Yıldız said earlier on Friday.

There were 34 workers inside the mine located some 400 kilometers south of the capital, Ankara, when a water pipe exploded, causing the flood.