Ten workers killed in Izmir steel plant blast as rescuers search for four missing people in Turkey

Rescue teams search the plant

The explosion struck the HABAS steel plant in Aliaga, a port area in western Turkey. Rescuers searched the debris for four people believed to be trapped, while authorities said 10 workers had died and 15 were injured.

Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban said two of those injured were in critical condition and that search and rescue work was continuing. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said the injured had been taken to hospital and their condition was being monitored.

Officials describe the blast

An earlier statement from the governor’s office placed the explosion at around noon, or 09:00 GMT. It said an overhead crane toppled into a furnace as liquid steel was being cast, and that authorities were investigating.

Elban said the production line was changing shifts rather than operating at full production. About 200 workers were at the site, compared with an expected 300. Four public prosecutors were assigned to the case, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced.

Witnesses recall the impact

A witness quoted by state-run Anadolu news agency said, “The ground shook.” Another witness, Deniz Ulker, said the blast felt as if the earth’s crust were shifting and that they thought it was an earthquake. The plant was established in 1987 and has the capacity to produce 4.5 million tons of steel annually, according to the company’s website.

Calls for workplace accountability

Union leader Basaran Aksu said the deaths called for the labor minister to resign. The Health and Safety Labor Watch, an independent NGO in Turkey, reported 226 workplace deaths across the country in September this year.