The key facts
- The explosion at the HABAŞ plant in Izmir occurred at around 11:46 local time
- The death toll rose from 6 to 16 over the course of the day, with 13 injured and two in serious condition
- Judicial and administrative investigations have been launched; sources differ on the cause
Explosion and fire at the HABAŞ plant
On November 9, an explosion occurred at the HABAŞ iron and steel plant in the Aliağa district of Izmir province in western Turkey, after which a fire broke out and thick smoke rose over the site. Izmir Governor Süleyman Elban said the explosion occurred at around 11:46 local time. According to him, an overhead crane collapsed, materials fell into an electric arc furnace, and the explosion occurred after a natural gas line was damaged. Firefighters, medics and rescue workers were dispatched to the scene.
The death toll changed throughout the day
Casualty figures changed significantly over the course of the day. In the morning, Gazeta.uz, citing CNN Turk, reported six dead, 13 injured and eight missing, with search and rescue operations ongoing. Governor Elban initially put the toll at 10 dead and 15 injured, including four workers in serious condition, and said that, according to his information, four people could be under the rubble. In the evening, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, announced updated figures: 16 dead and 13 wounded, two of them in serious condition. According to the Uzbek-language version of Gazeta.uz, the search for four more people was still ongoing.
Versions of the cause and the investigation
The cause of the explosion is described differently by different sources. NTV linked the incident to the rupture of an overhead crane and its fall into the arc furnace during the pouring of molten steel. Governor Elban, in turn, said the accident occurred during furnace replacement work. According to him, about 200 workers were at the plant at the time of the technical operation — compared with more than 300 during regular production shifts. Witnesses said that at the moment of the explosion they felt the ground shake and thought an earthquake had begun. The investigation is being conducted on two levels: Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç — no, Justice Minister Akin Gürlek announced that the chief prosecutor's office of the Menemen district had begun work, while Erdoğan said that judicial and administrative investigations had been launched to establish the causes and circumstances of the incident, possible negligence and those responsible. There had been no detentions as of his statement. Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan and Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar were heading to the region, and a visit by Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu was also expected.
