Turkiye steel factory blast kills 16, probe launched

ISTANBUL: An explosion ripped through a steel plant in western Turkiye on Monday, killing 16 people and injuring 13, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, announcing investigations into the tragedy.

Eight workers were trapped at the HABAS steel factory about 60 kilometers north of the port city of Izmir where the blast struck around midday (0900 GMT), said Izmir governor Suleyman Elban.

Footage posted online showed a huge cloud of thick smoke pouring into the sky as flames appeared to engulf a tall structure within the HABAS Demir Celik plant in Aliaga.

"The circumstances surrounding this tragic incident, which has deeply saddened our nation, including how and why it happened, whether there was any negligence and who bears responsibility, will be established," Erdogan said on television.