245 people have been confirmed dead following an explosion at a mine in Turkey. 450 people have been rescued while more than 100 are still missing.
Meanwhile rescuers are pumping oxygen into the coal mine as they battle to save miners trapped underground.
Hundreds of frantic relatives have crowded around the surface of the mine, in Soma, some 250 kilometres south of Istanbul, anxiously waiting for news, more than 24 hours after the disaster.
Relatives wailed as victims were pulled one by one from the mine on stretchers. Blankets were pulled away from the faces of the dead to give the jostling crowd a chance to identify their loved ones.
Several people had to be restrained as they desperately tried to climb into ambulances with the bodies. There are reports that one of the victims was just 15-years-old.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has visited the scene, and said the latest figures suggest 120 miners are still trapped. Those still underground are thought to be some 2 kilometres below the surface and 4 kilometres from the mine entrance.
Despite efforts to help any survivors who may be struggling to breathe, the country's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said "hopes are diminishing" among rescuers.
The last miner to be rescued alive emerged from the mine in the early hours of the morning.
CBS correspondent Holly Williams is in Soma, and says exact figures are difficult to come across.
A fire was said to have been burning inside the mine long into the day and high levels of carbon monoxide have forced rescue teams to halt the operation on a number of occasions.
The poisonous gas is considered responsible for the majority of fatalities.
The scene of the mine after the explosion (Image: Turkish Red Crescent)
TV pictures earlier showed survivors coughing and spluttering as they were pulled out alive, their faces coated with black dust. The disaster struck around 3pm local time on Tuesday during a change of shifts, meaning more than the usual number of workers were underground.
Turkey's Energy Minister previously said 787 workers were in the mine at the time of the blast, although there is now a degree of uncertainty about that figure.
According to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, just 93 people were pulled out alive - a significantly smaller number than previously reported.
Authorities say the disaster was caused by an electrical fault which triggered an explosion and a fire. For many who have lost loved ones fear has now turned into anger as reports suggest poor safety standards could have contributed to the disaster.
Street protests
Dozens have taken to the streets of Istanbul to protest the deaths. In Ankara police fired tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators shouting anti-government slogans.
According to Turkey's main opposition party Mr. Erdogan's government voted down a proposal to launch an inquiry into a number of previous accidents at mines around Soma just two weeks ago.
Journalist Dorian Jones said one Soma miner had told him he felt like a "lamb to the slaughter" every time he went to work.
In a statement, mine operator Soma Komur Isletmeleri described the explosion as a "tragic accident" which happened "despite maximum safety measures and inspections".
According to Turkey's Ministry of Labour, the pit was last inspected on March 17th and was found to be compliant with safety regulations.
The Red Crescent has set up makeshift tents at the scene (Image: Turkish Red Crescent)
Turkey's mines have one of the worst safety records in the developed world.
The country's worst mining disaster was in 1992, when a gas explosion killed 263 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak. Turkey has declared three days of national mourning.
