A huge explosion and fire at an iron and steelworks facility in the western province of İzmir left six people dead on Nov. 9, as rescuers searched for eight missing workers.
The fire at the HABAŞ plant in Aliağa also injured 13 people, two of them critically, the Governor’s Office said in a statement that updated an earlier announcement to reflect the deaths of one person in a hospital and two other people found under the debris.
Search and rescue efforts were underway to reach the eight people trapped under the rubble, it said.
The office said that the blast happened around noon (09:00 GMT) when an overhead crane toppled into a furnace during the casting of liquid steel. It said that an investigation was launched.
İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay said that the exact number of casualties would only be known once the debris is cleared.
Media showed images of a large fire inside the facility and a tall column of smoke rising.
“The ground shook. It was very intense,” witness Nuri Ali Ülker was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu Agency.
Another witness, Deniz Ülker, said that the explosion “felt like the earth’s crust was shifting beneath us. I thought it was an earthquake.”
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said that emergency teams fought the blaze while searching for casualties.
“Our injured compatriots have been taken to hospitals and their health is being closely monitored,” he posted on social media.
Aliaga has a large port and is known for shipbreaking.
The HABAŞ plant was established in 1987 and can produce 4.5 million tons of steel annually, according to the company’s website.
