The number of Turkish soldiers who died of methane gas poisoning during a search operation in northern Iraq has reached eight, the electronic edition of the “Hürriyet“ newspaper reported, citing an official statement from the Turkish Ministry of Defense, BTA reported.
Yesterday, the Turkish ministry announced that during a search in a cave for the remains of Lieutenant Nuri Melih Bozkurt, killed by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in 2022. During a Turkish military operation in northern Iraq, a total of 19 people were gassed with methane gas, five of whom died and the rest were taken to hospital.
Today, the ministry announced that three more people had died as a result of the gassing, bringing the death toll to eight.
The PKK announced its disbandment on May 12 in response to a call made in late February by its longtime leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence in prison on Imrali Island near Istanbul since 1999.
The Kurdish separatist organization, which has waged an armed struggle against the Turkish government for decades, is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom. The group has waged an armed struggle against the Turkish state since 1984, in which tens of thousands of people have died.