Turkey Steel Plant Explosion Kills 16, Four Workers Feared Trapped

At least 16 people have been killed and 13 others injured following an explosion at an iron and steel plant in western Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has confirmed.

The explosion occurred on Monday, November 9, at the HABAS Iron and Steel Plant in the Aliaga district of Izmir province, triggering a fire and damaging parts of the industrial facility.

Erdoğan announced the updated death toll after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, saying judicial and administrative investigations had been launched to establish the circumstances surrounding the disaster and determine whether negligence was involved.

Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban said the explosion occurred at approximately 11:46 a.m. local time during maintenance work involving the replacement of a furnace.

According to preliminary findings, an overhead crane collapsed, causing materials to fall into an electric arc furnace. The impact reportedly damaged a natural gas line, triggering the explosion.

The governor initially reported 10 deaths and 15 injuries, with four workers believed to be trapped beneath the debris. The death toll subsequently rose to 16, according to the president’s announcement. Two of the injured were reported to be in serious condition.

Emergency responders, firefighters and search-and-rescue teams were deployed to the scene as efforts continued to locate anyone still trapped in the wreckage.

Approximately 200 workers were reportedly at the facility during the maintenance operation, fewer than the more than 300 normally present during regular production shifts.

Television footage showed thick smoke rising above the industrial complex, while witnesses described the force of the explosion as powerful enough to shake the surrounding area.

The incident has prompted renewed questions about industrial safety and workplace conditions in Turkey. Workers’ groups have raised concerns about previous workplace accidents at the facility, although the authorities have yet to establish whether safety failures contributed to Monday’s explosion.

The HABAS facility, located in the industrial district of Aliaga, is one of Turkey’s major steel-producing plants. The company was established in 1987 and has an annual production capacity of about 4.5 million tonnes, according to its website.

Authorities say investigations are continuing, with the government pledging to establish the cause of the explosion and identify anyone responsible.