At least 19 Turkish miners are feared dead following a massive methane gas explosion which blasted through a coal mine in western Turkey late on December 10.

Turkish authorities have confirmed six fatalities and 13 more people were thought to still be trapped, Dnevnik daily reported on December 11.

The remaining 13 miners are most likely also dead, local politician Abdullah Ozer was quoted as saying by Turkish media. Rescue operations have repeatedly been thwarted and made more hazardous by potential secondary explosions as there were large pockets of concentrated gas inside the mine, as well as debris and fog, CNN Turk reported.

"We are very sorry. We did not lose our hope. We are trying to reach them," Turkish labour minister Omer Dincer expressed his hope for survivors. Six bodies had been recovered on the morning of December 11, the Turkish minister said.

The fatal explosion occurred in a mine in the village of Devecikonagi near the town of Mustafakemalpasa in the western Turkish province of Bursa.

Reportedly, following the blast the surviving 13 miners were trapped around 212 metres below the surface. During the initial rescue operation on December 10, six local rescuers were hospitalised, suffering from gas poisoning.

"We have been told that there is no hope for those trapped inside because of the high concentration of gas inside," Ozer was quoted by Turkish media as saying.

Deadly accidents are not entirely foreign to Turkish mines because of safety violations, obsolete equipment and high concentrations of methane gas.