Istanbul (AFP) - Ten people were killed and 15 others were injured Monday in an explosion at a steel factory near the coastal city of Izmir in western Türkiye, according to provincial authorities.

Published on: 09/11/2026 - 15:41 Last updated: 09/11/2026 - 16:52

Izmir Governor Suleiman Elban announced the toll shortly before five o'clock local time (14:00 GMT). Turkish media reported that four of the injured were in critical condition.

“Search and rescue operations are continuing to reach our workers trapped under the rubble,” Justice Minister Akin Gorlek said on the X platform, announcing the opening of an investigation.

The explosion occurred around midday (09:00 GMT) at the Habaş Demir Çelik factory in Ali Agha, about 60 kilometers north of Izmir, and officials reported that it caused a fire to break out in the facility.

DHA reported that preliminary results indicate that the explosion occurred when a crane fell inside a large industrial furnace used in the process of pouring molten steel.

Pictures broadcast by the agency showed a thick cloud of dark smoke rising into the sky, while the flames appeared to be consuming a high-rise facility inside the factory.

Deniz Ulker, a witness who was passing by the factory, told the official Anadolu Agency, "The ground was shaking under our feet, so I thought it was an earthquake. When I looked at the factory on the other side of the road, I saw thick black smoke rising from it. A fire broke out at the chimney."

For his part, Turan Elbay, a truck driver working at the factory, said, “It was like a bomb exploding.”

Izmir Mayor Cemil Togay said that rescue teams "continue working to remove the collapsed platform," explaining that those injured in the accident were factory workers.

Three accidents in three weeks

A large number of riot police units were deployed in front of the government hospital in Ali Agha, where workers injured in the explosion were admitted, according to the newspaper "Evrensel", which is close to the opposition.

The newspaper said, "The police prevent entry to the hospital. Relatives of the injured are waiting in its courtyard while the wounded continue to be transferred to it."

Two activists from the Aegean Workers' Association were arrested while denouncing safety conditions at the site.

The group's spokesman, Oktay Türk, told AFP, "The blind greed of the Habas administration has caused a major disaster."

He added, "We expressed our legitimate and justified anger (...) in front of the hospital. Sonay Tecan and Yucel Memiş (...) were placed under arrest."

He continued, "Our comrades must be released immediately, and those responsible for this massacre must be brought to justice."

The Labor Party condemned the accident, attributing it to a failure to observe basic safety measures. He said, "For years, workers have been denouncing the postponement of maintenance and inspection work to avoid disrupting production."

The party added, "The iron and steel giants, who brag about their export performance, are not held accountable, and the necessary strict inspections are not conducted," demanding that "the owner of Habash, its directors, and its officials be referred to the judiciary."

According to Eversel, this is the third fatal accident at the company within three weeks. "Of the 11 workers who died in the last ten years, five were contractors and two were trainees," the newspaper said.

She added, "For years, workers have been talking about postponing maintenance and inspection work to avoid stopping production."

© 2026 AFP

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