Use of Underground Mining Activities in Earthquake Search and Rescue Works

Abstract

Although the mining sector has the task of providing raw materials directly or indirectly to industrialestablishments, it unfortunately contains great dangers and risks for its employees in terms of occupational health andsafety. Especially in mining enterprises operating underground, roof collapse, sudden gas discharge, flooding, gasexplosions etc. negativities that occur during production cause great material and moral destruction. In such big problems,well-trained rescue teams of mines play an important role in saving the lives of many miners. Earthquake disastersaffecting 11 provinces in Turkey caused great destruction, many people died in building debris and collapses, andbuildings and industrial facilities were severely damaged on Feb. 6 2023. In the search and rescue works that started afterthe earthquake, the outstanding efforts of the underground mine workers in the field and the methods they used in thesestudies attracted the attention of the public. In this study, evaluations were made by giving some underground rescuemethods used in search and rescue activities in the Adıyaman earthquake region which is one of 11 provinces affectedby the disaster in Turkey.