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One year has passed since the landslide at the gold mine in İliç district of Erzincan, where 9 workers lost their lives on 13 February 2024.
An investigation was initiated by the İliç Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in order to search and rescue for the 9 workers who disappeared as a result of the landslide that occurred on 13 February last year in the area where the gold mine is located in Çöpler village and to catch those who were negligent.
While the landslide soil was moved to a storage area to reach the missing workers, the authorities carried out water and soil analyses to investigate the environmental effects of the landslide.
In the preliminary report prepared on 17 February by the expert committee investigating the mine site, 5 people, including the process oxide manager who "did not take measures for the cracks in the pile in time", were found to be primarily at fault. The 'crack photographs' taken by the miners in the morning hours of the day of the landslide were also included as evidence in the expert report.
A Parliamentary Commission to Investigate the İliç Mine Accident was established with the joint decision of all parties in the Parliament to investigate the issue, and the commission started its work in Erzincan on 7 May and reported the data obtained on the incident.
The expert committee on the landslide at the mine site completed its work in May and submitted its report to the prosecutor's office. The report stated that it was concluded that the project management mechanism was not maintained in a correct and functioning manner and that the warning system at the mine site was inadequate. The report also found 13 of the company's managers and engineers to be primarily at fault.
In November, an expert report covering the environmental impact assessment (EIA) regarding the landslide was prepared. In the new expert report prepared as a result of the evaluations of the committee consisting of environmental, civil, geological and mining engineers from İstanbul Technical, Hacettepe, Yıldız Technical and Gazi universities, it was stated that "It was concluded that the officials of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, who approved or signed the EIA report, were flawless".
Furthermore, İliç Chief Public Prosecutor's Office decided that there was "no ground for prosecution" against the public officials who approved and signed the EIA reports.
On 18 December 2024, an indictment was prepared and submitted to the court against 43 suspects, 5 of whom were arrested, on charges of "negligently causing death and injury" and "negligently polluting the environment".
In the 69-page indictment prepared against arrested suspects I.R.G, S.K.S, A.R.K, S.Ç. and Ö.A. and 38 suspects without arrest, it was demanded that all suspects be sentenced to imprisonment from 2 years to 15 years each for "negligently causing death and injury".
I.R.G., the Canadian manager of the company that operated the gold mine at the time, C.Y.D. and K.Ö. were also charged with "negligent pollution of the environment", which is punishable by a judicial fine or imprisonment from 2 months to 1 year if it has a permanent effect on soil, water or air.
According to the expert report in the indictment, it was concluded that 12 of the 43 suspects were found to be primarily at fault due to "failure to manage the project correctly in general, failure to identify risks, failure to create an emergency management plan, failure to ensure communication and coordination sufficiently".
In the indictment, the following statements were included: "It has been understood that the project management mechanism was not established correctly and operatively, the capacity was increased as Phase 4B and there were design errors in the projects prepared, the project design criteria were inadequately followed during the operation phase, and the possible damage risks to the heap leach of the explosions made by using high amounts of explosives at close distances to the heap leach during the construction of Phase 5 were not determined."
Following the acceptance of the indictment by Erzincan 1st High Criminal Court on 3 January, the trial of 43 defendants will begin on 17 March.
On the other hand, the bodies of one of the missing workers were found on 5 April, another on 19 April, two on 4 May and five on 10 June 2024.
80 per cent of Anagold Madencilik is owned by Canadian gold mining company Alacer Gold, whose tax debt was previously written off, and 20 per cent by Lidya Madencilik, a subsidiary of Çalık Group.
The company was previously penalised for a cyanide leak at this mine, and a lawsuit was filed against the company with the International Criminal Court regarding the explosion of the cyanide pipe.
Source: 9 işçinin öldüğü İliç'teki toprak kaymasının üzerinden bir yıl geçti: Faciayla ilgili neler yaşandı?
An investigation was initiated by the İliç Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in order to search and rescue for the 9 workers who disappeared as a result of the landslide that occurred on 13 February last year in the area where the gold mine is located in Çöpler village and to catch those who were negligent.
While the landslide soil was moved to a storage area to reach the missing workers, the authorities carried out water and soil analyses to investigate the environmental effects of the landslide.
'CRACK PHOTOS' USED AS EVIDENCE
In the preliminary report prepared on 17 February by the expert committee investigating the mine site, 5 people, including the process oxide manager who "did not take measures for the cracks in the pile in time", were found to be primarily at fault. The 'crack photographs' taken by the miners in the morning hours of the day of the landslide were also included as evidence in the expert report.
A Parliamentary Commission to Investigate the İliç Mine Accident was established with the joint decision of all parties in the Parliament to investigate the issue, and the commission started its work in Erzincan on 7 May and reported the data obtained on the incident.
13 PEOPLE FOUND PRIMARILY GUILTY
The expert committee on the landslide at the mine site completed its work in May and submitted its report to the prosecutor's office. The report stated that it was concluded that the project management mechanism was not maintained in a correct and functioning manner and that the warning system at the mine site was inadequate. The report also found 13 of the company's managers and engineers to be primarily at fault.
DECISION ON PUBLIC AUTHORITIES
In November, an expert report covering the environmental impact assessment (EIA) regarding the landslide was prepared. In the new expert report prepared as a result of the evaluations of the committee consisting of environmental, civil, geological and mining engineers from İstanbul Technical, Hacettepe, Yıldız Technical and Gazi universities, it was stated that "It was concluded that the officials of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, who approved or signed the EIA report, were flawless".
Furthermore, İliç Chief Public Prosecutor's Office decided that there was "no ground for prosecution" against the public officials who approved and signed the EIA reports.
INDICTMENT PREPARED AGAINST 43 SUSPECTS
On 18 December 2024, an indictment was prepared and submitted to the court against 43 suspects, 5 of whom were arrested, on charges of "negligently causing death and injury" and "negligently polluting the environment".
In the 69-page indictment prepared against arrested suspects I.R.G, S.K.S, A.R.K, S.Ç. and Ö.A. and 38 suspects without arrest, it was demanded that all suspects be sentenced to imprisonment from 2 years to 15 years each for "negligently causing death and injury".
I.R.G., the Canadian manager of the company that operated the gold mine at the time, C.Y.D. and K.Ö. were also charged with "negligent pollution of the environment", which is punishable by a judicial fine or imprisonment from 2 months to 1 year if it has a permanent effect on soil, water or air.
According to the expert report in the indictment, it was concluded that 12 of the 43 suspects were found to be primarily at fault due to "failure to manage the project correctly in general, failure to identify risks, failure to create an emergency management plan, failure to ensure communication and coordination sufficiently".
FIRST HEARING ON 17 MARCH
In the indictment, the following statements were included: "It has been understood that the project management mechanism was not established correctly and operatively, the capacity was increased as Phase 4B and there were design errors in the projects prepared, the project design criteria were inadequately followed during the operation phase, and the possible damage risks to the heap leach of the explosions made by using high amounts of explosives at close distances to the heap leach during the construction of Phase 5 were not determined."
Following the acceptance of the indictment by Erzincan 1st High Criminal Court on 3 January, the trial of 43 defendants will begin on 17 March.
On the other hand, the bodies of one of the missing workers were found on 5 April, another on 19 April, two on 4 May and five on 10 June 2024.
THE COMPANY'S TAX DEBT WRITTEN OFF
80 per cent of Anagold Madencilik is owned by Canadian gold mining company Alacer Gold, whose tax debt was previously written off, and 20 per cent by Lidya Madencilik, a subsidiary of Çalık Group.
The company was previously penalised for a cyanide leak at this mine, and a lawsuit was filed against the company with the International Criminal Court regarding the explosion of the cyanide pipe.
Source: 9 işçinin öldüğü İliç'teki toprak kaymasının üzerinden bir yıl geçti: Faciayla ilgili neler yaşandı?