Negligence and low standards are being blamed for yesterday’s explosion at the Soma mine, which has left at least 238 dead with hundreds more still missing.

The explosion at the Soma mine in western Turkish city of Manisa’s Soma district happened just before 15:00 local time on Tuesday 13 May. It is thought that an electrical fault triggered a spark which led to fires breaking out in the mine.

The number of personnel in the mine was at its highest due to shift changes, but Soma Komur Isletmeleri, the owners of the mine, do not keep entry and exit records, so the number of those who remain inside can only be estimated.

“We will be pulling bodies out for days” one local told news agencies.

Later that evening, as rescue efforts scrambled to the scene, Soma Komur Isletmeleri released a statement saying that the mine had been inspected regularly and the most recent inspection, which was carried out in January, found nothing contrary to mining regulations.

As bodies started to be pulled from the mine, a further statement was released by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, where they agreed that the Soma mine had passed officials’ most recent checks on workplace safety and health in March this year. Visiting the mine nine months ago the Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said:

“We are standing in a place where words no longer speak…this mine sets an example for other mines in Turkey.”

However, Hayrettin Yildiz, whose brother worked at the mine for the last ten years until the accident, told local media outlets on Wednesday that inspections were a formality and not carried out properly, explaining “the mine was inspected on paper”.

The explosion has revealed a contrast between the claims of ministers and private companies, who point to the high standards and profits of the increasingly privatised Turkish mining industry, and the scenes from Soma, with interviews revealing a history of high mortality rates and low wages.

The chief executive of Soma Holding, Alp Gurkan, said in an interview published two years ago by Hurriyet Daily that his company had reduced the costs of coal extraction from $130 per tonne to just $23.8 after leasing the mine in 2005 from the Turkish Coal Enterprises.

Miners appearing on Turkish television today said that their wages amount to $19 per day, which comes with practically no social security. They also noted how working conditions have declined since the mine was privatised and that any complaint or incapacity costs them their jobs.

Parliament observed a minute’s silence this afternoon, which may have given them time to contemplate the uncomfortable questions that have arisen in the last 24 hours.

One such question is why the body of a fifteen year old boy, Kemal Yildiz, was pulled from the blast. The energy minister Taner Yildiz told the Hurriyet Daily that employing a minor was “impossible” and statements from the company claimed they did not employ anyone by that name. The head of the Turkish mining trade union also said that they did not have a member with that name. However, of the 15,000 people working at the mine, only 12,000 are registered with the Union.

Another question is why a proposed investigation into mine security in the Soma district was turned down two weeks ago. The main opposition party in Turkey, the CHP, with the backing of two other parties, submitted a proposal to Parliament last year. It demanded an investigation into all the mining accidents in Soma and the competency of the auditing process.

In 2013, 5,000 occupational accidents took place in the district of Soma, 90% of which took place in mines. However, on 29 April AKP Manisa deputy said that the mines in Soma were the safest in the country and that mine companies were taking all the necessary measures. He added that accidents still occur due to the “nature of this profession”.

Oktay Berrin, a miner, said that the workers are not protected. He told AFP:

“There is no security in this mine, the unions are just puppets and our management only cares about money.”