Afghan miner killed in Northern Turkey to conceal illegal mine

Kabul: In a tragic incident, an Afghan man, 50, was killed in northern Turkey, Khaama Press reported on Tuesday.

The Afghan man, identified as a father of four, lost his life under appalling circumstances and the incident throws light on the gruesome consequences of illegal coal mining operations.

The lifeless body of the Afghan miner, Vezir Mohammad Nourtani, was found on November 11 in a forested area in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, with marks of burns, Khaama Press reported, citing local Turkish media.

However, soon a startling revelation stated that Nourtani had died on November 9, two days prior to the finding of his dead remains, as per his autopsy reports. His corpse had been hidden in the woods.

Six people, including the proprietors of the mine, have been detained as a result of investigations into this horrific case.

One of the defendants, Serkan Kayabas, admitted during interrogation that he immediately informed Enver Gideroglu and Hakan Kornos, the mine’s proprietors, after seeing Nourtani unconscious on the ground, Khaama Press reported.

The story’s most upsetting aspect is that, upon arriving at the scene, Hakan Kornos chose to put the injured Afghan man in his car rather than seek medical attention for him, the report added.

Sadly, Gideroglu and Kornos, the mine owners, used threats to intimidate the witnesses and keep them from telling the police about what had happened.

Citing the Turkish news portal news Gazete Duvar, Khaama Press reported that throughout their testimony, the suspects admitted to their horrible deeds. They acknowledged that they killed Nourtani in order to hide the illicit mining activity from the authorities.

The deceased, Vezir Mohammad Nourtani started working at the mine a month prior to his death.

Meanwhile, a large number of Afghan refugees are living in appalling conditions in neighbourhood nations like Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey. They frequently don’t have access to basic amenities like healthcare and education in these host countries, which puts them in difficult situations.

Unfortunately, many also experience different kinds of violations, such as abuse, torture, and harassment by local officials and law enforcement, which makes it much harder for them to seek safety.