Blast at steel plant in western Turkey kills at least six
Tolls after the explosion at Aliağa ranged from six to 17, with the İzmir governor's office saying a crane fell into a furnace during maintenance.
An explosion tore through an iron and steel plant in Aliağa, in Turkey's western İzmir province, on Monday, starting a major fire and killing workers, with rescue teams still searching the wreckage as the reported death toll ranged from six to 17.
Sky News reported at least six dead and eight missing, and said a major fire broke out after the blast. The South China Morning Post reported six dead and around a dozen injured, citing the İzmir governor's office. That office, it said, first gave a toll of three dead, 14 injured and 10 trapped under rubble, then revised it after one of the injured and two people pulled from the rubble died.
The Associated Press first reported three dead and 10 missing, then filed an updated figure of 10 dead and four missing. Euronews reported that 17 people had been killed.
Euronews named the site as the Habaş iron and steelworks and said the explosion came at 11:46am local time on Monday 9 November, sending thick smoke above the industrial complex, which sits near the city of İzmir. İzmir governor Süleyman Elban said an overhead crane had collapsed into an electric arc furnace during maintenance work, damaging a gas line and causing the blast, according to the outlet.
A worker told the news agency AFP that a snapped crane cable had sent around 120 tonnes of molten steel crashing onto the furnace, Euronews reported. About 200 employees were in the affected area at the time, fewer than usual because production had been suspended for maintenance.
Five people have been detained and four prosecutors assigned to investigate the circumstances of the disaster, according to Euronews. Aerial footage showed emergency vehicles ringing the site and ambulances carrying casualties to nearby hospitals. Witnesses described a blast that felt like an earthquake, and footage showed flames, smoke and distressed relatives waiting outside the factory.
Rescue teams were continuing to search the wreckage, Euronews reported.
How the reports differ
The reports parted most sharply on the death toll. The Associated Press moved from three dead and 10 missing to an updated figure of 10 dead and four missing, while Sky News said at least six had been killed and eight were missing. The South China Morning Post set out the governor's office sequence in detail, from three dead, 14 injured and 10 trapped to a toll of six after deaths among the injured and among those pulled from the rubble. Euronews put the toll at 17 and was alone in giving the 11:46am timing, reporting the detention of five people and the assignment of four prosecutors, and carrying a worker's account to AFP of 120 tonnes of molten steel falling onto the furnace.
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