18 miners trapped in coal mine in southern Turkey

Surging water trapped at least 18 workers Tuesday in a coal mine in Turkey, officials and reports said.

Initial reports said flooding inside the Has Sekerler mine near the town of Ermenek in Karaman province caused a cave-in, but in subsequent reports workers were trapped by the water. Turkey's emergency management agency, AFAD, said a broken pipe in the mine caused the flooding but did not elaborate.

Authorities said about 20 other workers escaped or were rescued from the mine, some 500km south of Ankara, close to Turkey's Mediterranean coast.

Rescuers have yet to make contact with the miners who are trapped 300 metres underground.

Rescue crews are working to pump water out of the mine but emergency workers believe the miners' chances of survival are slim unless they had managed to reach a safety gallery.