Türkiye steel plant blast death toll rises to 18 as chairman is detained

A huge explosion and fire at a large iron and steelworks in western Türkiye on Monday, November 9, killed 18 people: rescuers recovered the body of missing worker Güner Gökçe, raising the toll from 17. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 16 in the evening, before the health minister confirmed that another critically injured worker had died, raising the toll to 17. Twelve people were injured, one of them critically, and prosecutors have ordered the detention of 11 people, including the HABAŞ chairman.

Death toll revised upward repeatedly in a day

The blast happened around noon local time (0900 GMT) at the HABAS plant in the Aliaga district of Izmir province. The governor's office first reported three dead, 14 injured and 10 missing; it later updated the toll to six dead and eight missing, before Governor Suleyman Elban said in the evening that 10 people had died, four were missing and 15 were injured. Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay said the exact number of casualties would only be known once the debris is cleared.

Crane fell into the furnace

According to the governor's office, initial findings indicate the explosion was triggered when an overhead crane snapped and fell into an arc furnace during the casting of liquid steel. Broadcaster NTV showed images of a large fire inside the facility and a tall column of smoke rising.

Witnesses: 'It felt like an earthquake'

Witness Nuri Ali Ulker told the state-run Anadolu news agency: "The ground shook. It was very intense." Another witness, Deniz Ulker, said the explosion "felt like the earth's crust was shifting beneath us. I thought it was an earthquake."

Rescue and investigation under way

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said emergency teams fought the blaze while searching for casualties, and that the injured had been taken to hospital and were being closely monitored. The governor's office said an investigation had been launched, and Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said four public prosecutors had been assigned to the case.

The HABAS plant was established in 1987 and can produce 4.5 million tons of steel a year, according to the company's website. Aliaga is a large port known for shipbreaking, which critics say has caused significant environmental damage. The disaster came as world leaders and environmental activists gathered in Antalya, on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast, for talks on curbing climate change.

Update, November 9: President puts death toll at 16

President Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting that the blast had killed 16 people and injured 15. Reuters and Sky News both reported the president's figure. Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban had earlier said in a televised update that 10 people had died, four were missing and 15 were injured; the two counts have not been fully reconciled. Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay said the exact toll would only be known once the debris had been cleared. Rescue work continues.

Update, November 9 (evening): Death toll rises to 17

Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said a critically injured worker had died, raising the death toll to 17. President Erdogan had earlier put the toll at 16 dead and 13 injured; other reports put the injured at 12, and the figures have not been fully reconciled. Officials have not said separately whether the four workers the governor earlier listed as missing are included in the death toll. Preliminary findings point to a crane falling into an electric arc furnace; the exact cause is still under investigation. All of the dead were factory workers.

Update, evening of November 9: cause confirmed as hydrogen explosion; at least five detained

Investigators have preliminarily confirmed the blast was a hydrogen explosion: a boiler being moved by an overhead crane fell into an arc furnace, and about 120 tonnes of molten steel touching its water-cooled panels set off the explosion. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has assigned four prosecutors to the case, and Turkish media citing the prosecutor's office report at least five people have been detained. The death toll remains 17 (the health minister's figure), while the number of injured is reported as 12 to 13, with sources differing; officials have not separately explained whether the four workers earlier reported missing are counted among the dead. President Erdoğan said judicial and administrative investigations would examine the cause and whether negligence contributed.

Update, November 10: Families and workers protest; brother of a victim sets himself alight

Agence France-Presse reported on November 10 that grief quickly turned to protest: relatives gathered outside the plant and outside Aliaga State Hospital, where the injured were taken, and riot police were deployed outside the hospital; two representatives of the Aegean Workers' Collective were detained while trying to make a statement about workplace safety. The brother of one of the dead set himself alight outside the factory and was taken to hospital by bystanders. On the evening of November 10, workers and residents protested in an Aliaga square under the slogan "Enough is enough, we do not want to die!" The death toll remains 17; five people were detained, six by the evening of November 9.

Update, November 10: Death toll rises to 18; chairman detained

Search teams recovered the body of missing worker Güner Gökçe, raising the death toll from 17 to 18; 12 people were injured, one of them critically. Prosecutors issued detention warrants for 11 people, including HABAŞ chairman Mehmet Rüştü Başaran; the chairman was detained on Tuesday in Istanbul's Kartal district and is to be taken to Izmir for questioning, while six other people were detained on Monday. Deputy Justice Minister Can Tuncay said forensic investigators determined the victims died from burns so severe that their bodies had been carbonized. An Aliağa court has imposed a publication ban on reporting about the incident until the investigation is completed; the broadcasting regulator said the aim was to prevent disinformation and public outrage and to let the investigation proceed properly. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.