Turkey steel factory blast kills 10 near Izmir

An explosion at the HABAS steel factory in western Turkey killed 10 people and injured 15 others on Monday, officials said, as rescuers searched for workers trapped under rubble.

Izmir governor Suleyman Elban said eight workers were still trapped at the plant in Aliaga, about 60 kilometres north of the port city of Izmir. He said four of the injured workers were in critical condition.

Elban told reporters at the scene that the blast happened during a boiler replacement operation when an overhead crane fell into an arc furnace used in steelmaking, causing an explosion in the steel mill behind it.

Footage from the scene showed thick smoke rising as flames appeared to engulf a tall structure inside the HABAS Demir Celik plant.

Izmir mayor Cemil Tugay said on X that rescue teams were continuing work to remove a collapsed platform and that the people affected were factory workers. He said the exact number would become clear once the wreckage had been removed.

Witnesses quoted by Anadolu described a powerful blast. Deniz Ulker said it felt like an earthquake, while Turan Ilbay, a truck driver at the factory, said it was like a bomb going off.

Workers' groups alleged HABAS had a long record of safety issues. The Evrensel daily said at least 11 workers had died at the site over the past decade before Monday's explosion. Turkey's Labour Party said on X that two other workers had died at HABAS in the previous three weeks.

HABAS declined to answer questions when contacted by AFP.