Turkish police tear-gas thousands at mine blast protest

Protestors run away from tear gas during a protest on Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on May 14, 2014. Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of protesters on Thursday, as a 24-hour strike got underway over a deadly mine explosi
Protestors run away from tear gas during a protest on Istiklal avenue in Istanbul on May 14, 2014. Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of protesters on Thursday, as a 24-hour strike got underway over a deadly mine explosion. -- PHOTO: AFP

ISTANBUL (AFP) - Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of protesters on Thursday, as a 24-hour strike got underway over a deadly mine explosion.

Police intervened twice when around 20,000 protesters took to the streets in the western city of Izmir to protest the death of 282 miners in the country's worst ever industrial accident, Dogan news agency reported.

The head of the leftist DISK union was hospitalised.

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