At least 17 killed in Turkey steel factory explosion
An explosion at the Habas Demir Celik plant in Aliaga killed 17 workers and injured 12 others on Monday.
At least 17 people died and 12 others were injured following an explosion at the Habas Demir Celik steel plant in Aliaga, western Turkey, according to BBC News and Hindustan Times. The blast occurred around midday on Monday at the facility, which is located about 60 kilometres north of the port city of Izmir.
Izmir Governor Süleyman Elban said the explosion happened during a boiler replacement operation when an overhead crane collapsed, causing materials to fall into a furnace. Worker Yasin Cetiner told AFP that a crane rope broke, causing approximately 120 tonnes of liquid steel to fall into the furnace, which triggered a hydrogen explosion upon contact with water-cooled panels.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed the deaths and stated that investigations are underway to establish how the incident happened and who bears responsibility. Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu updated the death toll to 17 after one person who was in critical condition died.
The company stated the accident occurred during scheduled maintenance work on an electric arc furnace. The DEM party issued a statement calling the incident a workers' massacre and demanding that any negligence or lack of oversight be brought to light. The party co-chair Tulay Haimogullari is expected to visit the site on Tuesday morning.
Local media reports cited by BBC News indicate that at least five people have been arrested. Eyewitness Deniz Ulker told AFP that the explosion felt like an earthquake.