Turkey steel factory blast kills at least 16 people

What the report says

A blast at the Habas Demir Celik steel plant near Izmir in western Turkey has killed at least 16 people and injured 13 others, according to BBC World News. Authorities said everyone killed or hurt in the incident was a worker at the facility, which is one of Turkey’s major steel producers.

The BBC reported that the explosion happened around midday at the plant in Aliaga, near the port city of Izmir. Footage from the scene showed a large fire and thick smoke rising from the site. Eyewitnesses said the force of the blast shook the ground, and one person thought an earthquake had struck. The company said the accident took place during scheduled maintenance on one of its electric arc furnaces.

Local officials said the blast may have followed the collapse of a crane carrying a replacement boiler, which caused material to fall into a furnace below. Izmir governor Süleyman Elban said some people were believed to still be under rubble, while Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said investigations were continuing and rescue work was ongoing.

The incident highlights longstanding concerns about workplace safety in Turkey, where industrial accidents remain a recurring issue, according to a labor safety watchdog cited by the BBC. The Habas site is located in Aliaga, a major port area and a center for shipbreaking activity.