The chief advisor to the owner of a pro-government holding that co-owns the Çöpler gold mine in Turkey’s eastern Erzincan province has denied his company’s operational responsibility for a devastating landslide that buried nine workers.

The tragedy occurred on Tuesday when a massive landslide, triggered at 2:28 p.m. local time, sent some 10 million cubic meters of earth sliding down a 200-meter-high slope. The landslide, which consisted of soil contaminated with cyanide and sulphuric acid, took at least nine workers.

On Wednesday authorities said the location of the trapped workers has been identified and that rescue efforts have been intensified under difficult conditions. In addition the incident has triggered an investigation that has led to eight detentions in connection with the mine’s management.

The incident has put a spotlight on the environmental and safety practices of the mining operation. The mine in Erzincan province is operated by Anagold Madencilik and owned by Turkey-based Calik Holding and Denver, Colorado-based SSR Mining.

Hakkı Akil, the chief adviser to pro-government Çalık Holding’s owner Ahmet Çalık, defended the use of cyanide as the only method of gold extraction. When asked by Halk TV’s Seyhan Avşar, Akil said Çalık Holding is a mere investor and is not involved in the operations.

The environmental impact of the disaster is significant since up to 10,000 people could be exposed to cyanide.

The Turkish Union of Engineers and Architects’ Chambers (TMMOB) has filed a criminal complaint against Anagold Mining Industry and Trade Inc. officials, including the former and current minister of environment, urban planning and climate change, the governor of  Erzincan and local administrative authorities, accusing them of ignoring the necessary precautions and of expanding the mine’s operations despite the known risks, including potential cyanide leakage.

The TMMOB emphasized that the ministry, the local administration and the courts ignored their previous warnings about the danger of landslides in the area, leading to the current disaster.

They demand that all responsible parties be prosecuted and punished for their role in the incident, “which has caused irrevocable damage to human health and the environment.”

Although the authorities claim that no contamination was detected in the samples taken from the site of the landslide, experts warn that the spread-out area, where there is no protection whatsoever, makes it impossible for cyanide and heavy metals not to contaminate the soil.

Anagold insists that the waste storage pond was not affected by the incident and denies any environmental contamination, a claim supported by the Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change, which has closed canal gates to prevent contaminated material from entering the Euphrates River.

However, the lack of a protective membrane in the area of the landslide indicates unavoidable contamination of the soil and water.

Former Anagold employees and experts who spoke to Deutsche Welle’s Turkish edition argue that the disaster was foreseeable due to inadequate control and oversight and point to the uncontrolled application of the cyanide solution as a likely cause of the landslide.

Concerns also extend to the health risks posed by heavy metals such as zinc, nickel, copper, iron and arsenic, which can remain in the environment for years, potentially contaminating water sources and affecting agricultural products.

Pro-government media spin mine collapse

Following the devastating landslide, pro-government newspapers have put the government’s narrative front and center, largely overlooking the environmental concerns and potential dangers associated with the incident.

The front page of Sabah emphasized the ongoing search and rescue efforts, citing Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar’s statements about previous inspections and assurances from mine officials that no cyanide had leaked into the Euphrates River. This reporting is consistent with the government’s efforts to reassure the public, although previous spills and regulatory fines point to longstanding environmental risks.

Contrary to official assurances, previous incidents, including a significant fine imposed by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change over cyanide and sulfuric acid leak in the Euphrates River, raise questions about the mine’s safety and environmental management.

The pro-government Türkiye newspaper reported on the “cleanliness” of the environment and the absence of cyanide leaks, a stance contradicted by local environmental activists and experts who warn of the dire consequences of cyanide and heavy metal contamination of waterways.

The pro-government Yeni Şafak daily’s reporting focused on the technical aspects of search and rescue operations, ignoring the inadequate safety measures highlighted by photos of rescue teams working in contaminated soil without proper protective equipment.

While some media put the blame solely on the mining company, others, including Hürriyet, cite several factors that contributed to the disaster, such as poor waste management and the controversial decision to build the plant near the Euphrates River. It is striking that the role of former Environment and Urban Planning Minister Murat Kurum in approving the mine’s operational expansions is not mentioned in pro-government publications, underscoring the selective reporting that omits potentially damaging information about the involvement of government officials.