Explosion at HABAŞ Steel Plant in İzmir Kills 16 as Crane Falls into Electric Arc Furnace

A huge explosion and fire at the HABAŞ iron and steel plant in Aliağa, in Turkey's western İzmir province, killed 16 people on Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, after an overhead crane fell into an electric arc furnace during the casting of liquid steel. The blast struck around noon local time, 0900 GMT, at the plant about 60 kilometres north of the port city of İzmir.

The death toll rose through the day as officials gave new updates. The İzmir governor's office first said three people had died, 14 were injured and 10 were missing; it later raised the toll to six. The Associated Press later reported 10 dead, 15 injured and four missing, citing Governor Süleyman Elban in a televised update in the afternoon. Erdoğan gave the latest figure of 16 dead after a cabinet meeting, and the AP reported at least 13 injured, two of them critically. Rescue teams were still searching the rubble on Monday evening, and İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay said the full extent of the casualties would only become clear once the debris was cleared.

The governor's office said its first findings showed that an overhead crane snapped and fell into an electric arc furnace during the casting of liquid steel, triggering the blast and the fire that followed. Elban said the crane fell as it was replacing a boiler. HABAŞ gave a different account of what was happening at the time, saying the accident occurred during planned maintenance on an electric arc furnace and that the causes are being examined together with the authorities.

Judicial and administrative investigations have been launched to determine the cause of the explosion and identify those responsible, Erdoğan said. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the Menemen chief prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the explosion, and four public prosecutors have been assigned to the case. Erdoğan said those found to have been negligent or responsible would be held accountable.

The HABAŞ plant was established in 1987 and can produce about 4.5 million tons of steel a year, making it a major site in the Aliağa industrial area on Turkey's Aegean coast, an area known for its concentration of steel, petrochemical and shipbreaking operations. Firefighters, medical teams and search and rescue personnel were deployed to the site after the explosion, and the fire was brought under control as the search for the missing continued.

The blast has renewed attention on safety at the plant. The Evrensel daily reported that at least 11 workers had died at the factory over the past decade before Monday's explosion, and Turkey's Labour Party claimed that two workers had died in separate workplace accidents at the factory in the three weeks before the blast. Officials said the toll may still change while rescuers clear the debris, and the investigation is continuing.