An explosion at HABAŞ’s iron and steel plant in the Aliağa district of Izmir killed 16 people and injured 13, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said after a Cabinet meeting on Monday. Two of the injured were in critical condition.
The blast occurred around midday on Monday, November 9, and was followed by a fire at the facility. Emergency, firefighting and medical teams were sent to the site, while injured workers were taken to hospitals.
Company says incident happened during scheduled maintenance
HABAŞ said the accident occurred during scheduled maintenance at one of its electric arc furnaces. The precise cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Four prosecutors assigned to the case
The Menemen Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said four public prosecutors had been assigned to examine the incident.
Erdoğan said judicial and administrative inquiries would establish how the explosion happened and whether negligence or other responsibility was involved.
