Protests after Turkey mine disaster

An explosion thought to have been set off by an electrical fault caused the pit to collapse. By Wednesday night, at least 274 people were confirmed dead.

  Prime Minister Erdogan visited the site of the disaster but was booed as he arrived and had abuse hurled at him.

  The Turkish leader was accused of being insensitive while visiting the mine in Soma.

Rescuers are still searching for more than 100 miners who remain unaccounted for.

  Many of the relatives still waiting for news of their loved ones gathered at the local hospital.

Mr Erdogan was forced to take refuge in a local supermarket after his visit provoked anger in the small town.

The crowds marched to the offices of Mr Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party in Soma and destroyed the building and its contents.

There were also demonstrations on the streets of Istanbul, with police using tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters.

There were similar scenes in the capital Ankara as police used water cannon to stop about 800 protesters.

The protests look set to continue across the country, with many accusing the government and the mining industry of negligence.

Anger has erupted against the Turkish government after a deadly coal mine disaster in the western town of Soma. People in Soma hurled abuse as they surrounded PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan's car during his visit to the scene of the tragedy, and protesters clashed with police in Istanbul and Ankara. An explosion on Tuesday caused the pit to collapse, killing at least 274 The latest rise in the death toll means it is the worst such incident in the country's history.

Rescuers are still hunting desperately for scores of miners who are missing feared dead, but Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said the mine was still on fire hampering their efforts. Nearly 450 workers have been rescued, according to the mine operator, though government officials gave a lower figure of 363.

 The hospital grounds have been taken over by the families of the trapped miners. Their wait has now become a vigil. Some sit and stare at the ground. Others sob. Every few minutes paramedics clear the crowd to take away someone who has fainted. Dozens press up against the blue police barricades set up at the entrance to the hospital. They're desperate for news of the trapped miners. And they have nowhere else to go.

However, no survivors have been found since dawn on Wednesday and more than 100 are still thought to be unaccounted for. Eighty of those rescued have been treated for injuries, none of which were described as serious.

Local media reports said protesters in Soma kicked Mr Erdogan's car and called for his resignation after he gave a news conference on the disaster. He was booed as he emerged from his car. Some arrests were made amid the scuffles and pictures showed the prime minister, surrounded by bodyguards, seeking refuge in a shop. Protesters also attacked the town's ruling AK party offices.  Meanwhile police in the capital, Ankara, fired tear gas and water cannon at about 800 protesters who tried to march from a university to the energy ministry.

There were also reports of a protest in Istanbul outside the headquarters of Soma Holding, the company that owns the mine. Mr Erdogan has faced criticism on social media for being insensitive, after he cited numerous mining accidents throughout the world, including in Britain in the 19th Century, in defending the Turkish government's record. He said every effort would be made to find the missing miners, and promised a full investigation.