At least six people have been killed in a major explosion at an iron and steel plant near the western Turkish city of Izmir. More than 12 others have been injured. This information was reported on Monday by the French news agency AFP, citing the governor’s office.
Initially, the Izmir governor’s office reported three deaths and 14 injuries, with 10 people trapped under the debris. The casualty figures were later updated: one of the injured and two others rescued from the rubble succumbed to their injuries, bringing the total death toll to six.
Footage from the scene shows a fire burning at a tall structure within the Habas Demir Celik plant, located in the Aliaga area, about 60 kilometers north of Izmir. Thick, black smoke billowed into the sky above the factory.
Deniz Ulke, an eyewitness who was passing by the area when the explosion occurred, described the sound as resembling an earthquake.
He told Turkey’s state-run news agency, Anadolu, that it felt as though the ground was shifting beneath his feet. Initially, he assumed it was an earthquake. Looking toward the factory across the road, he saw thick, black smoke emerging and flames visible where the chimney was located.
Turan Ilbe, a truck driver at the plant, compared the sound of the explosion to that of a bomb.
Preliminary investigations suggest the explosion occurred after a crane collapsed onto a large industrial furnace used for casting molten steel.
Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay stated that rescue teams are currently working to clear the collapsed sections of the furnace and the debris from the damaged building. All those killed or injured are reported to be workers at the plant.
