Search ends in Turkey as bodies of last missing miners brought out

Turkey on Saturday announced that the death toll from this week's devastating coal blast reached 301, after authorities retrieved the bodies of the last two miners trapped underground.

"The rescue operation was carried out to completion. There are no miners left underground," Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told reporters in the western town of Soma, site of the country's worst-ever industrial disaster. "All corners of the mine were searched by a large team and there was no other body or living person.”

"Until today, we had focused on search and rescue efforts. Now we will be focusing on investigations," Yildiz said.

Another 485 miners either escaped or have been rescued since the explosion struck on Tuesday. The disaster has led to a surge of popular anger in Turkey, fueled by accusations of negligence by mine operators and what many saw as a heartless response from the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Adding to the negative sentiment against the government, a video has emerged showing Erdogan, during his visit to the beleaguered mining town, seemingly threatening to slap a man if he booed him. 

Akin Celik, the Soma mine's operations manager, said thick smoke from the underground fire killed many miners who had no gas masks. High levels of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been a problem for rescue workers as well.

But one miner, 24-year-old Erdal Bicak, told The Associated Press that he believes the disaster was due to negligence by the mining company.

"The company is guilty," Bicak told AP, adding that managers had machines that measure methane gas levels. "The new gas levels had gotten too high and they didn't tell us in time."

Yildiz said: "The true cause of the accident will be assessed ... through different dimensions. There will be lessons to draw for the mining world."

The Milliyet newspaper said Saturday it saw a preliminary report by a mine safety expert who went into the Soma mine that suggested smoldering coal caused the mine's roof to collapse. The report said the tunnel's support beams were made of wood, not metal, and there were not enough carbon monoxide sensors.

Labor Minister Faruk Celik said investigations were launched by both prosecutors and the company. But he added that "there is no report that has emerged yet."

Government and mining officials have insisted that the disaster was not due to negligence and the mine was inspected regularly. 

"There's no negligence with respect to this incident," said Huseyin Celik, a deputy leader of the ruling party. He said the mine in Soma "was inspected vigorously 11 times since 2009."

"Let's learn from this pain and rectify our mistakes," he said. "(But) this is not the time to look for a scapegoat." 

Al Jazeera and wire services