A huge explosion followed by a fire at a steelworks in the province of İzmir, in western Turkey, has left at least 10 people dead and 15 injured, several of whom are in a critical condition. Emergency services are continuing to search for other possible victims amongst the rubble of the plant, so it cannot be ruled out that the death toll may rise in the coming hours.
The incident took place at a steel production plant in Aliağa, a district some 50 kilometres north of the city of Izmir. After a loud explosion was heard, a thick plume of smoke rose above the site; the force of the blast was such that it sparked scenes of panic in the surrounding area and necessitated the mobilisation of numerous firefighters, medical services, police and search and rescue teams.
The explosion caused significant structural damage to the factory and triggered a fire that required the intervention of numerous firefighters. Whilst the teams worked to extinguish the flames and cool the premises, rescue specialists began to search through the rubble for possible victims or trapped workers.
10 dead and 15 injured, four of whom are in a critical condition
The fire that broke out following the explosion was eventually brought under control thanks to the efforts of the emergency services; however, search and rescue operations are continuing in the area with the assistance of personnel from AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Agency), the fire service and the police. The teams initially deployed were joined by personnel from other nearby districts, as well as from the neighbouring province of Manisa, according to the Turkish television channel TRT Haber.
The provisional toll from the accident currently stands at 10 workers dead and 15 injured. The medical services initially treated those affected at the scene of the accident and subsequently transferred them by ambulance to nearby hospitals in the Aliağa district. One of the injured, due to the seriousness of their condition, had to be airlifted by medical helicopter to the City Hospital in İzmir.
According to available information, Turkey’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Vedat Işıkhan, and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, travelled to İzmir after news of the accident broke to ascertain the details of the incident in person.
A crane fell onto the electric arc furnace, causing the explosion
Speaking to the media, the Governor of İzmir, Süleyman Elban, confirmed the number of victims rescued so far and provided further details about the accident.
“Today, at approximately 11.46 (09.46 CET), whilst a boiler was being replaced at the HABAŞ steelworks, a crane positioned on the roof collapsed, causing various materials to fall onto the electric arc furnace and triggering an explosion at the steelworks. As a result of this explosion, sadly, two people died after being hospitalised and a further eight died after being struck and trapped by the falling debris, bringing the total death toll to 10,” said Elban.
The governor also explained that, according to information provided by the plant’s own employees, the factory’s production line was not in operation at the time of the accident, but was undergoing a configuration change, which prevented a higher death toll.
“Although there should have been more than 300 people working in that area, there were only about 20 at the time of the explosion. Search operations at the factory premises will continue until every last spot and location where there might be victims has been checked,” said the governor of Izmir. “As for whether there are still people trapped under the rubble, we believe there are four people,” he added.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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