At least 17 workers have been killed and at least 12 others injured in an explosion at an iron and steel factory near the port city of Izmir in western Turkey, authorities have said. The blast struck the Habas Demir Celik plant in Aliaga on Monday, 9 November, tearing through the facility during maintenance work and sending a towering column of smoke into the air.
Crane collapse during maintenance
Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban said the blast happened around midday, after a crane carrying a replacement boiler collapsed, causing materials to fall into a furnace below. The company that runs the plant said the accident occurred during scheduled maintenance on one of its electric arc furnaces. Eyewitnesses said the explosion shook the ground so violently that one person at first believed an earthquake had struck.
The exact sequence of events is still unclear. Earlier findings from the governor’s office suggested the crane had fallen into an electric arc furnace during the casting of liquid steel, while the governor later said falling materials had struck a natural gas line, triggering the explosion. Production had been suspended while equipment was being replaced. Investigators have yet to establish precisely what happened or why the crane collapsed.
Death toll rose through the day
The casualty figures climbed through Monday as rescue teams searched the wreckage. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan first confirmed 16 deaths after a cabinet meeting, and said search and rescue operations were continuing. Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu later announced that one of the critically injured workers had died in hospital, taking the toll to 17. Governor Elban said some people were believed to still be under the rubble, and reports differed on the exact number of injured workers.
Criminal investigation under way
The Menemen Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened a criminal investigation and assigned four prosecutors to the case, while the Labour Ministry has appointed a chief inspector to examine the incident. At least five people have been detained, BBC News Turkish service reported, citing local media, although other Turkish media reports put the number at six. No definitive cause or finding of negligence has been announced.
Condolences arrived from abroad on Monday. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev sent a letter of condolence to Erdogan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the explosion as a deeply distressing tragedy, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was deeply saddened by the loss of life. Workplace accidents remain a chronic problem in Turkey, the Turkish Health and Safety Labour Watch, an independent civil society organisation, told the BBC. The Habas plant is one of Turkey’s leading steel producers, and Aliaga is a major port and one of the country’s main shipbreaking hubs.
