The death toll of Turkey's worst coal mine disaster climbs to 299 after 15 more bodies were recovered overnight from the coal mine in the western town of Soma, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Saturday.

Rescue teams entered parts of the mine which were previously inaccessible due to a fire after the blaze was largely put out, Anatolia news agency quoted the minister as saying.

Earlier in the day, a fresh fire broke out inside the coal mine, hampering efforts to locate three more miners' bodies still believed trapped underground, Yildiz said.

The minister said the cause of the disaster is yet to be determined, but an electrical fault causing an explosion and fire might be responsible.

The minister stressed that any negligence on the part of officials or the company that manage the mine will be punished.

On the other hand, the mine's operator Soma Komur denied any allegations of negligence, saying that they had all worked very hard.

The disaster has triggered nationwide protests against the government in the past four days. On Friday, clashes broke out in Soma when Turkish police used tear gas, water cannon and plastic bullets to disperse protesters who demanded compensation for the nearly 300 dead miners.

Turkey currently has some 740 coal mines and more than 48,000 miners. Mine accidents in the country have killed over 3,000 people and injured more than 100,000 since 1941. Endi

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