by Nomad
The downside to a photo-op is, of course, that something unexpected or embarrassing might happen. That's unfortunately exactly what occurred when the Turkish Prime Minister traveled to Soma, the site of the nation's worst mining disaster.
In the aftermath of the historic
mining disaster in Soma, Turkey, the Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan promptly
journeyed to the area, supposedly to give comfort to the grieving relatives of
the over 300 victims.
In what could be considered phenomenally poor judgement, the Prime Minister delivered a speech to the crowds in which he told the crowds
that mining disasters happen all the time. Even, in more developed
countries, he said, such unfortunate things occur. It was, he implied, simply a risk that miners take.
He then cited examples to support his contention.. from 100 years ago. In fact, critics pointed out- nearly instantaneously- that Turkey's record for mining disasters outranks other nations.
