Police guard a security barricade as protesters clash with them after a funeral ceremony for Ugur Kurt.
Yildiz said the deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and feared the death toll could end up much higher than the latest count of 201 workers.
The accident occurred when the workers were preparing for a shift change, officials said, which likely raised the casualty toll because there were more miners inside the mine than usual.
At least 80 miners were injured, including four who were in serious condition, Yildiz told reporters in Soma, as he oversaw the rescue operation involving more than 400 rescuers.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people were inside the coal mine in Soma, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Istanbul, at the time of the accident and 363 of them had been rescued so far. Photo: AP
Rescuers struggled to reach more than 200 miners trapped underground early on Wednesday after an explosion and a fire at a coal mine in western Turkey killed at least 166 workers, authorities said, in one of the worst mining disasters in Turkish
People attend a mine accident victim's burial in Soma.
Family members outside the mine.
Rescuers desperately raced against time to reach more than 200 miners trapped underground.
A miner cries as rescue workers carry the dead body of a miner from the mine.
Rescue workers carry a rescued miner outside the mine.
A relative of one of the miners is helped outside the mine in Soma.
A woman looks as rescue workers carry the dead body of a miner. Around 787 people were inside the coal mine at the time of the accident.
People bear a coffin aloft, of one mine accident victim for burial.
Rescue workers carry the dead body of a miner outside the mine.
The rows of open tenantless graves are prepared for the mine accident victims.
People wait for a mine accident victim's burial.
The main entrance of the coal mine.
People march to the Soma offices of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party during his visit to the coal mine.
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, walks down steps front row left, is surrounded by security members as he visits the coal mine in Soma.
Riot police try to stop protesters who were attacking the offices of Prime Minister.
People attack the Soma offices of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party during his visit to the coal mine.. A violent protest erupted. Many in the crowd expressed anger at Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
Mourning family members of Ugur Kurt during a funeral ceremony.
People place flowers at the site where Ugur Kurt was shot on Thursday in Istanbul.
Protests turn ugly as a man prepares to throw a Molotov Cocktail at the police.
A masked man hurls a petrol bomb as protesters clash with police after the funeral.
Riot police use water cannons and teargas to disperse people who were protesting.
Men protect themselves as riot police use water cannons and teargas to disperse people who were protesting the Soma mine disaster that killed 301 miners.
Police fought with more than a dozen youths who hurled stones and firebombs. Kurt, who was a bystander and not a demonstrator, was shot, and died in a recent protest. (Photo: AP/ File)
Protest against mining disaster still continues in Turkey