SOMA, Turkey, May 15 -- The death toll of Turkey's coal mine disaster Tuesday has reached 282, making it the country' s worst industrial disaster in history, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said early Thursday.

Yildiz said that a fire was continuing at the mine shaft and rescue operations were suspended during the night due to accumulated carbon monoxide.

Hopes of finding more survivors are diminishing. During the last 12 hours, no miner has been rescued alive. About 150 miners remain trapped underground.

The disaster occurred in the privately-owned mine in the western province of Manisa during a shift changeover. The fire broke out 150 meters underground, Yildiz said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Wednesday that rescue efforts would continue unabated and the government would investigate the accident thoroughly.

The accident has sparked anti-government protests in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya and other cities. The protesters were demanding the resignation of the ruling Justice and Development Party, AKP.

The last major mining tragedy in Turkey occurred in 1992, when a fire and explosion killed 263 people. Two other big mining accidents took place in 1983 and 1990, leaving 103 and 68 dead respectively.