Seven more Turkish soldiers have died from methane gas poisoning following a cave search operation in northern Iraq, Turkey's Defense Ministry said Monday, bringing the death toll to 12. The soldiers had been searching for the remains of a fellow soldier previously killed by Kurdish militants.

The troops were searching a mountain cave when 19 of them were exposed to the gas, according to the ministry. Five of the soldiers died Sunday from the colorless, odorless, flammable gas that can cause asphyxiation in sufficient concentration, and seven more succumbed on Monday.

"We pray for God's mercy upon our heroic martyrs who lost their lives in this tragic event," the ministry said Monday, also expressing hope for a rapid recovery for other troops that were affected.

It said Defense Minister Yasar Guler and armed forces' commanders were traveling to the region to carry out "inspections and evaluations" and attend funeral ceremonies.

The ministry said the incident took place in the "Claw-Lock Operation region" - a reference to an operation launched against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq in April 2022.

The ministry posted video on social media showing six of the dead soldiers being transported back to their hometowns.

"The bodies of our six heroic comrades who were martyred in the Claw-Lock Operation region were sent to their hometowns for burial," the ministry wrote on X.

There was no immediate information on the condition of the seven other soldiers who were affected by the gas.

The did not explain the origin of the methane gas in the caves.

Turkey and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict that has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Turkey has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.

The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and most of the West, announced in May that it would disband and renounce armed conflict as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey.

Its fighters are expected to begin handing over their weapons over the next few days in the first concrete move toward disarmament.

According to the ministry, the Turkish unit overcome by methane gas had been searching for the remains of an infantry officer killed by "terrorist gunfire" during a search-and-clear mission in May 2022. Recovery teams have been scouring the area for the past three years.

The cave where the incident occurred sits at an altitude of 2,795 feet and had previously been used by the PKK as a field hospital.

News of the soldiers' deaths emerged as a delegation from the pro-Kurdish DEM party was visiting jailed PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan as part of the ongoing negotiations with the Turkish government.

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