Methane gas kills 12 Turkish soldiers in Iraq operation

bbc ^ | 7/07/2025 | Imogen James

[BenLurkin]

Twelve Turkish soldiers have died after being exposed to methane gas while searching a cave in northern Iraq, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence said.

At least 19 personnel were exposed to the gas during the search and clear operation on Sunday, and immediately taken to hospital. By Monday, 12 had died, the ministry said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he received the news with "great sorrow" and extended his condolences to the soldiers' families and to the Turkish Armed Forces.

Methane gas is not directly toxic, but can be deadly as it can become suffocating, especially in tight, enclosed spaces.

It remains unclear why the cave contained enough methane gas to make it lethal.

A farewell ceremony for some of the soldiers killed was held at an airport in the southern Turkish province of Hakkari on Monday. It was attended by the Turkish defence minister and many high-ranking officials from the armed forces.

The bodies were then transported back to the their home towns.

The soldiers were searching for the body of a soldier who was killed in gunfire in May 2022 during Operation Claw Lock - a military operation led by Turkey against militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq which included air strikes on caves as well as a ground incursion.

[Colt1851Navy]

Oxygen occlusion by displacement. We had this problem on our fire engine after the crew ate bean burritos.

[Mastador1]

Matches take up less room🤷🏼‍♂️

[Parmy]

Your beat me to it!

[Nervous Tick]

>> Methane gas is not directly toxic

They’ve never smelled mine. It’s borderline toxic.

[mass55th]

Why are Turkish soldiers doing search and clear operations in northern Iraq? Doesn’t Iraq have their own military, and why are U.S. troops still there if Turkish soldiers are being utilized?