Explosion at Habas steel plant in Izmir province kills at least 16, five detained

At least 16 people were killed and at least 13 injured Monday, Nov. 9, in an explosion at the Habas iron and steel plant in the Aliaga district of Izmir province, western Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the toll after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.

The blast struck at 11:46 a.m. local time (08:46 GMT). Aliaga sits about 60 km (37 miles) north of the city of Izmir on the Aegean coast and is a major port and shipbreaking hub.

What the authorities say happened

The Izmir governor's office said an overhead crane broke off and fell into an electric arc furnace. Governor Süleyman Elban said the fall damaged a gas line and caused the explosion.

Descriptions of what the plant was doing at the time differ. The governor's office said the incident came during liquid steel casting. Other accounts of the governor's remarks say the crane was involved in maintenance work, including replacement of a boiler.

One worker told AFP that a snapped crane cable sent about 120 tonnes of molten steel crashing onto the furnace, setting off a violent reaction. That is one worker's account, and officials have not confirmed it.

Around 200 employees were in the affected area. That is fewer than usual, because production had been suspended for maintenance.

Casualty figures are still moving

Erdogan said two of the injured were in serious condition. The governor's office, in a statement, put the injured at 14, with three seriously hurt. At least one outlet has put the dead at 17.

The governor's office said search and rescue teams were working to reach 10 people reported trapped under the rubble. Elban said authorities believe some people may still be under the debris.

Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay said the full number of dead and injured would only be clear once the rubble was cleared.

Footage showed thick black smoke and a large fire over the complex, with ambulances and fire crews surrounding the site. Eyewitness Deniz Ulker, who was across the street, told Anadolu Agency it felt like an earthquake. "It was as if the ground beneath us had shifted. I thought it was an earthquake," he said.

Investigation and detentions

Erdogan said judicial and administrative investigations are under way. "The cause and circumstances of this tragic incident, which has deeply saddened our nation, as well as any negligence and those responsible, will be established," he said.

Five people have been detained and four prosecutors have been assigned to the case. The authorities have not named those detained or said what they are accused of, and no charges have been announced.

The precise reason the crane failed has not been established. Whether it was a mechanical fault, a maintenance error or something else is the central question for the prosecutors.

Safety record disputed by labor groups

Workers' groups say the plant has a troubling history. The Izmir chapter of Turkey's Labour Party, a small Marxist group, called Monday's blast "the third fatal incident" at the factory in three weeks. In a post on X, it said seven employees had died in accidents at the plant over the past 10 years. It also said maintenance requirements and safety standards were not being met.

Those are the party's claims. The authorities have not publicly confirmed the three-week or 10-year counts, and the sources contain no response from Habas to the allegations.

The Turkish Health and Safety Labor Watch, an independent civil society organization, has documented ongoing concerns about industrial safety standards across the country. Workplace accidents are a chronic problem in Turkey.

The European Union and Azerbaijan were among those who sent condolences.

The death toll remains unsettled. Ten people were reported trapped when the governor's office issued its statement, and the 16-death figure may rise as crews reach them.

Accountability is the other open question. Erdogan has publicly promised to establish negligence and name those responsible. The five detentions are the first concrete step, and prosecutors will have to decide whether anyone is charged. They will also have to address the labor party's claim of two earlier fatal incidents at the same plant in recent weeks.