Six managers of the gold mine where nine workers are still trapped after last Tuesday’s landslide were taken into custody late Friday night, Turkey’s energy ministry announced today.

“The detention of the six people was decided by the court last night, while two workers were released under judicial supervision,” Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said at a press conference in Ilic, in northeastern Turkey’s Erzijan province.

According to Turkish media, among those arrested is a Canadian citizen, executive of the Anagold company that operates this gold mine. 80% of Anagold’s shares belong to the SSR Mining company based in Denver and Toronto, while the remaining 20% ​​to the Turkish company Lidya.

The authorities also revoked the mine’s environmental permit, without which it cannot continue its activity. According to the preliminary report of the experts, the managers of the gold mine did not take the necessary preventive measures, although they were aware of the risk of a collapse of the soil volume.

The rescue operation of the nine trapped people, which was delayed due to the risk of new landslides, intensified since last night. “One of our priorities is to remove the volume of soil that covered the riverbed (…) We want to avoid any risk of contamination of running water or groundwater,” the minister said.

A huge pile of dirt, which authorities say had been processed for gold and deposited in the hills, collapsed on Tuesday and spewed like lava into a valley, in a ‘deluge’ of dirt and rock, with clouds of dust they rise to the sky. According to experts, the soil may contain cyanide, which is used in gold mining and could contaminate the soil or the waters of the Euphrates River that flows through Turkey, Syria and Iraq.

The minister assured that daily measurements are taken and today there is no public health concern.

The mine, which employs 667 workers, came under fire in 2022 after a cyanide leak prompted authorities to temporarily suspend operations. It reopened after a fine was paid, which had sparked a backlash from the opposition.