İZMİR, Turkey – Rescue teams searched the wreckage of the Habaş steel plant in western Turkey on Monday after an explosion during steel casting killed workers, injured others and triggered a fire. Authorities began investigating an initial assessment that an overhead crane had broken free and fallen into a furnace.
The İzmir Governor’s Office initially reported three deaths and 14 injuries, including three people in serious condition, and said teams were trying to reach 10 people trapped under debris. The injured were transferred to hospitals in the region. Those figures described the initial rescue operation, not a final accounting of everyone inside the facility.
Anadolu Agency’s news listing subsequently reported six deaths. Its detailed article, however, continued to carry the earlier three-death statement, as did Daily Sabah’s report. An updated injury total and a reconciled account of how many people remained trapped were not established in the sources reviewed.
The governor’s office placed the explosion at around noon at the Habaş Demir Çelik AŞ facilities in Aliağa’s Bozköy neighbourhood. In its initial assessment, an overhead crane detached during the casting of liquid steel and fell into an electric arc furnace, Daily Sabah reported, citing the official statement.
That explanation remained preliminary. The authorities’ announcement opened an investigation into the incident; it did not establish why the crane had failed or announce a final finding on responsibility.
The blast was followed by a fire, bringing firefighters, medical crews and search-and-rescue personnel to the plant. Early NTV footage described by Xinhua showed dense smoke rising above the facility as emergency units arrived.
People near the factory described a powerful shock followed by dust and smoke. Nuri Ali Ülker told Anadolu that the ground shook and that fire engines and ambulances began arriving after the explosion.
Another witness, Deniz Ülker, said he initially thought an earthquake had occurred. He described black smoke rising from the factory and a fire near its chimney, according to Anadolu’s detailed report. Truck driver Turan İlbay said he was preparing to leave the facility in his vehicle when the explosion happened and pulled over.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said the relevant units were conducting coordinated rescue, firefighting and response operations. Injured people had been sent to hospitals and their condition was being monitored, he said in a social-media statement reproduced by Anadolu.
Labour and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan said the Social Security Institution had appointed a chief inspector to investigate the incident. He said rescue operations were continuing and that the ministry was following developments. His announcement did not contain the inspector’s findings.
The plant is part of a long-established steelmaking operation. Habaş says its Aliağa mill has been part of the group since 1987 and lists annual liquid-steel production capacity of 4.5 million metric tons on its official steel-business page. The company describes an integrated operation covering steelmaking, casting and rolling.
Those capacity figures are company background, not an estimate of production affected by Monday’s explosion. The sources reviewed did not establish the extent of damage across the site or whether operations elsewhere at the complex had stopped.
The governor’s initial statement said rescue teams were working without interruption to reach those beneath the debris. The reviewed reports did not identify all the people who had died or establish the outcome for everyone initially reported trapped.
