- The blast occurred at 11:46am local time on Monday at the HABAS factory in Aliaga, about 60km north of Izmir on the Aegean Sea.
- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced an investigation and reported that two of the wounded were in serious condition.
- Izmir governor said the explosion was caused by an overhead crane falling into a large industrial furnace while the boiler was being replaced.
- Eyewitness Deniz Ulker said the explosion felt like an earthquake and saw thick black smoke and a fire near the chimney.
- Workers' groups say there is a long record of safety issues at the factory.
- The Izmir chapter of Turkiye's Labour Party said it was the third fatal incident at the factory in three weeks, with seven employee deaths in the past 10 years, citing unmet maintenance and safety standards.
- The European Union (EU) and Azerbaijan were among those to send condolences.
An explosion at the HABAS steel factory in Aliaga, Turkiye, occurred at 11:46am local time on Monday, resulting in at least 16 fatalities and 13 injuries, with two individuals in serious condition.1
The blast was reportedly caused by an overhead crane falling into an industrial furnace during boiler replacement, according to Izmir's governor.
Eyewitness Deniz Ulker described the explosion as feeling like an “earthquake,” noting thick black smoke and a fire at the site.4
Workers’ groups have raised concerns about ongoing safety issues at the factory, citing it as the third fatal incident in three weeks. The Izmir chapter of Turkiye’s Labour Party reported that seven employees had died in accidents over the past decade, highlighting unmet maintenance and safety standards.6
President Erdogan has ordered an investigation into the incident, while condolences have been extended from the European Union and Azerbaijan.7
“The blast at the HABAS factory in Aliaga occurred Monday at 11:46am local time when an overhead crane fell into a large furnace. Workers' groups cite a long safety record, with the Labour Party calling it the third fatal incident in three weeks.”
