Explosion at Turkish steel plant kills at least ten workers

Summarised from 3 outlets · 4 reports · Updated 9 Nov, 16:13 · Archive

An explosion at a steel factory in Izmir, Turkey killed at least ten workers on Monday.

An explosion and fire at the HABAS steel plant in Aliaga, Izmir killed at least ten workers on Monday, with four more believed trapped under debris, according to DW News. Sky News reported at least six dead with eight missing. The blast occurred around noon when an overhead crane toppled into a furnace during liquid steel casting, according to Izmir's governor Suleyman Elban.

Fifteen people were injured, two of them critically, and have been taken to hospital. The plant was operating at reduced capacity during a shift change, with around 200 workers present instead of the usual 300. An eyewitness, Nuri Ali Ulker, described the blast as 'very intense', saying 'the ground shook'. Another witness, Deniz Ulker, told the state news agency that the explosion 'felt like the earth's crust was shifting beneath us. I thought it was an earthquake.'

The initial fire was extinguished, though the exact final death toll remains unclear pending debris clearance. Four public prosecutors have been assigned to investigate. The HABAS plant, established in 1987, has an annual production capacity of 4.5 million tons of steel.

How it is being reported

• Explosion at steel plant in western Turkey leaves 10 dead, 4 missingA huge explosion and fire at an iron and steelworks in western Turkey left 10 people dead Monday as rescuers searched for four missing workers, officials said.New York Post · 9 Nov, 16:09
• Turkey: Workers killed in Izmir steel plant blastAt least 10 workers lost their lives in an explosion at a steel factory in Izmir, with the Turkish authorities warning more people are trapped under the debris.DW News · 9 Nov, 15:52
• Explosion at steel plant in Turkey kills at least six, officials sayA major fire broke out following an explosion at an iron and steel plant in Turkey on Monday, killing at least six people, with eight missing, officials said.Sky News · 9 Nov, 12:05
• Explosion at steel plant in Turkey kills 16, president saysA major fire broke out following an explosion at an iron and steel plant in Turkey on Monday killing 16 people, the country's president confirmed.Sky News · 9 Nov, 12:05

In this story: HABAS · Izmir · Turkey · Suleyman Elban · Aliaga

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log