At least 20 miners were killed and around 300 others were trapped underground after a deadly explosion in a coal mine shaft in Turkey's western province of Manisa Tuesday, the media reported.
The accident took place in Manisa's Soma district, Xinhua quoted the local Dogan news agency as saying.
Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said that four separate rescue teams were working in the mine before he headed to Manisa.
Around 580 workers were inside the mine when the explosion occurred at a power distribution unit about 2 km below the surface, causing the mine's elevator to stop working, according to reports.
Around 280 miners have been rescued so far, officials said.
