Explosion kills 19 miners in Turkey December 11, 2009 (CNN) -- A methane gas explosion at a coal mine in western Turkey killed 19 miners, federal officials said Friday. Three survivors were pulled from the mine after the explosion Thursday in the town of Mustafakemalpasa, in the western province of Bursa. Rescuers tried to reach the others, but they were forced to remove debris by hand because the area was too soft to withstand heavy machinery, said Labor and Social Security Minister Omer Dincer. The mine had operated since 1983 without such an accident, he added. "The ground support there totally collapsed on the impact of the explosion," Dincer said, according to Turkey's official Anadolu news agency. No survivors in Turkish mine blast December 11, 2009 (RIA Novosti) -- All 19 miners underground at the time of a gas explosion at a coal mine in western Turkey were killed, national media reported on Friday, citing Turkish Labor Minister Omer Dincer. The blast occurred at a mine in the Deveci village in the western Bursa province on Thursday evening at a depth of about 220 meters (700 feet). The explosion caused a shaft to collapse in the mine. Initial reports said six miners had been killed and 13 were trapped. Mine accidents are common in Turkey due to high methane concentration, safety violations and outdated equipment. In 1992, 270 miners died in a methane explosion near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.