In pictures: Rescuers race against time in Turkey mine disaster

An injured miner is carried to an ambulance in Soma. An explosion and fire in the coal mine in western Turkey killed at least 200 mindes on Tuesday and many more have been trapped in the mine. Depo Photos / Reuters

Relatives of miners who are trapped in a coal mine wait in front of the site in Soma. Osman Orsal / Reuters

The body of miner is carried to an ambulance in Soma. Osman Orsal / Reuters

Search and rescue teams and officials are seen around a coal mine where miners are trapped inside. Ihlas / Yilmaz Saripinar / Reuters

Relatives of miners who are trapped in a coal mine wait in front of a hospital in Soma. Osman Orsal / Reuters

An injured miner is carried to an ambulance in Soma. Depo Photos / Reuters

An explosion followed by a fire in the coal mine in Soma killed more than 200 miners. Osman Orsal / Reuters

Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people were inside the coal mine in Soma, some 250 kilometres south of Istanbul, at the time of the accident and 363 of them had been rescued so far. AP Photo

At least 80 miners were injured, including four who were in serious condition, Yildiz told reporters in Soma, as he oversaw the rescue operation involving more than 400 rescuers. Ihlas / Yilmaz Saripinar / Reuters

The accident occurred when the workers were preparing for a shift change, officials said, which likely raised the casualty toll because there were more miners inside the mine than usual. Osman Orsal / Reuters

Yildiz said the deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and feared the toll could end up much higher than the latest count of 201 workers. AP Photo

The rescue effort is “reaching a critical stage,” Yildiz said, with more deaths likely as time passes. Ihlas / Yilmaz Saripinar / Reuters

Earlier, the minister said the rescue operations were hindered because the mine had not completely been cleared of gas. Ihlas / Yilmaz Saripinar / Reuters

Nurettin Akcul, a mining trade union leader, told HaberTurk television that Turkey was likely facing its worst mining accident ever. “Time is working against us. We fear that the numbers could rise further.” Osman Orsal / Reuters

The body of a miner is carried to an ambulance in Soma, a district in Turkey's western province of Manisa May 14, 2014. An explosion and fire in the coal mine in Soma killed at least 151 miners and trapped hundreds more on Tuesday, with the death toll expected to rise in the country's worst mining accident for more than two decades. Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 workers had been in the mine in Soma, around 120 km (75 miles) northeast of the Aegean coastal city of Izmir, when the blast occurred. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: DISASTER ENERGY)

Earlier Yildiz said some of the workers were 420 meters (460 yards) deep inside the mine. News reports said the workers could not use lifts to get out of the mine because the explosion had caused a power cut. AP Photo

Workers from nearby mines were brought in to help the rescue operation. One 30-year-old man, who declined to give his name, says he rushed to the scene to try to help find his brother who was still missing early Wednesday with the sun rising over the mine. He said he was able to make it about 150 meters (490 feet) inside before gasses forced him to retreat. With tears in his eyes, he said that there were still fires burning and that the missing workers had been inside too long. AP Photo

Rescuers desperately raced against time to reach dozens of miners trapped underground Wednesday after an explosion and fire at a coal mine in western Turkey killed at least 200 workers.