An explosion and fire at HABAŞ’s iron and steel plant in Aliağa, Turkey, killed 17 workers. Injury accounts differed: Wikipedia reported at least 12, while Al Jazeera reported 13. [E6] [E1] President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later gave the same treatment count, including two critical cases. [E10]
İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban said an overhead crane fell into a large industrial furnace during a boiler-replacement operation. Another account described the furnace as being used in liquid-steel casting. [E4] [E12] A separate account said the crane was carrying the replacement boiler and that the blast and fire damaged part of the casting platform and a natural-gas line. [E7]
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced an investigation. [E3] The Straits Times reported that Erdoğan said he would find who was responsible. [E9]
Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu subsequently said one of the critically injured workers had died, bringing the toll to 17. [E11] Another account likewise said the death followed the cabinet-meeting toll report. [E8]
The blast was reported at 11:46am local time at the HABAŞ factory in Aliağa, about 60km north of İzmir. [E2] The İzmir chapter of Türkiye’s Labour Party said it was the third fatal incident at the factory in three weeks. [E5]