Steel factory explosion in western Turkey kills at least 16
Footage from the scene showed a huge plume of thick smoke spreading into the sky as flames engulfed a tall structure within the plant.
An explosion that ripped through a steel and iron manufacturing facility in western Turkey on Monday killed at least 16 people and injured 13 more, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting.
What happened: The blast took place at 11:46 a.m. local time (3:46 a.m. EST) at the Habas Demir Celik plant in the Aliaga district of the coastal Izmir province, Gov. Suleyman Elban’s office said in a statement.
An initial assessment suggests that the explosion at the plant occurred when a ceiling crane snapped and fell into an arc furnace during the liquid steel casting process, causing a blast and damaging a natural gas line, Elban’s office said. The injured were taken to hospitals in the region for treatment; three of the 13 injured were in serious condition, according to the statement.
"An investigation has been launched into the explosion, both judicially and administratively. The cause and circumstances of this tragic incident, which has deeply saddened our nation, as well as any negligence and those responsible, will be established," Erdogan said.
