Turkey steel plant explosion leaves 16 dead, Erdogan confirms
An overhead crane fell into a furnace at the Habas plant in Izmir province, sparking a fire and leaving 10 people trapped under rubble as rescuers searched the site.
By Khalid Khalil ·
Sixteen people were killed when an explosion tore through an iron and steel plant in Turkey on Monday, the country's president has confirmed, as emergency crews battled a major fire and worked to reach 10 people still trapped beneath the rubble.
The blast happened at the Habas iron and steel manufacturing plant in the Aliaga district of Izmir province at around noon local time, 9am GMT. It was caused by an overhead crane falling into a furnace as it was casting liquid steel, and a major fire broke out at the plant following the explosion.
Fourteen people were injured in the explosion, with three of them in a serious condition. The wounded were taken to hospitals, where their health was being closely monitored, according to the interior minister.
Search and rescue efforts were launched at the site in the aftermath of the blast, with teams working through the rubble in an attempt to reach those still trapped.
President Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the number of people killed in the incident on Monday afternoon, putting the death toll at 16. The governor's office said an investigation into the explosion was under way.
Interior minister Mustafa Ciftci said emergency services, including firefighters and search and rescue teams, had coordinated a response to the blast. "Our injured fellow citizens have been taken to hospitals, and their health is being closely monitored," he wrote in a post on X. He added that efforts to reach the remaining people trapped under the rubble were still ongoing.
Cemil Tugay, the mayor of Izmir, said the exact number of casualties could only be confirmed once the debris from the explosion had been cleared.
Witnesses described the terrifying moment of the blast. "The ground shook. It was very intense," said Nuri Ali Ulker.
Another witness, Deniz Ulker, said the force of the explosion "felt like the earth's crust was shifting beneath us," adding: "I thought it was an earthquake."
The explosion came as Turkey prepared to host world leaders and environmental activists in Antalya, on the country's Mediterranean coast, where the first day of the COP31 summit was due to take place.
