Explosion at Izmir plant kills 10 workers — Deutsche Welle

At least 10 employees were killed and another 15 injured, two of them critically, in an explosion and fire at the HABAS steel plant in the Aliaga district of the port city of Izmir in western Turkey. Rescuers were searching for four more people who, according to preliminary information, may have remained trapped under the rubble, Deutsche Welle reports.

Details of the accident

According to the Izmir governor's office, the explosion occurred around noon while molten steel was being poured. According to the preliminary version, an overhead crane fell into a furnace. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident.

Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban said that a work shift change, rather than an active production process, was taking place on the production line at the time. About 200 workers were on the plant premises instead of the expected 300.

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Rescue operation and reaction

Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay said that the initial fire following the explosion had been extinguished. According to him, the exact number of those killed and injured can be determined after the rubble is cleared. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said that the injured had been taken to hospitals and their condition was being closely monitored.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced that four prosecutors had been assigned to the case. Witnesses told the state-run Anadolu agency that the explosion was extremely powerful: one said the ground shook, while another compared the sensation to an earthquake.

The left-wing opposition Workers' Party of Turkey (TIP) said the incident once again demonstrated neglect of occupational health and safety in the country and called it a “workplace murder.” According to the independent organization Health and Safety Labor Watch, 226 workplace deaths were recorded in Turkey in September.