On Tuesday, about 350 million cubic feet of rocks, dirt, and soil suddenly fell in a landslide onto a Turkish mining camp named “The Copler Mine Site”, trapping multiple workers. Hundreds of rescuers are working around the clock, continuing their search for the nine goldfield workers who went missing following the landslide.

This landslide could have also caused many different environmental issues since there is a possibility that dangerous chemicals from the dig site could leak and saturate the ground or flow into the nearby river. Four people who are believed to have started the landslide have been arrested for investigation, the group even includes the pit’s field manager. 

Though, this wasn’t the first time dangerous chemicals leaked from this exact dig site. Efforts in 2022 were taken to shut the dig site down following a cyanide leak, but the company that owned the mine only faced a large fine of $536,000 and was allowed to stay open. 

The Colpler Site is not the only mine to have a large accident in Turkiye. In recent years, there has been an abundance of mining accidents, in 2022, an explosion in a coal mine killed 42 people, the Soma mine disaster in 2014, and much more. The reason why these accidents happen is usually because Turkiye uses cyanide to mine which is an extremely harmful chemical and damages the environment, surrounding the camp.