At Least 17 Workers Killed in Steel Factory Explosion in Western Turkey

Molten steel being poured at a steelworks (file photo). Image via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0, geograph.org.uk).

At least 17 workers have been killed and at least 12 others injured in an explosion at an iron and steel factory near the port city of Izmir in western Turkey, according to the BBC.

What happened

• The blast happened around midday on Monday, 9 November, at the Habas Demir Celik plant in Aliaga, one of Turkey's leading steel producers.
• The local governor said the explosion was caused by a crane carrying a replacement boiler collapsing and falling into an electric arc furnace below, where molten steel was being cast.
• Eyewitnesses said the explosion shook the ground, with one person initially believing an earthquake had struck.
• President Recep Tayyip Erdogan first confirmed 16 deaths after a cabinet meeting on Monday, but Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu later said one of the critically injured workers had died, taking the toll to 17.
• Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban told reporters that some people were believed to still be under the rubble, and search and rescue operations continued into the evening.
• At least five people have been arrested in connection with the incident, according to BBC News Turkish service, citing local media reports.

Background

The Habas plant is in Aliaga, a major port district of Izmir and one of Turkey's main shipbreaking hubs. The company said the accident happened during scheduled maintenance work on one of its electric arc furnaces, and a judicial investigation is under way.

Workplace accidents remain a chronic problem in Turkey, according to the Turkish Health and Safety Labour Watch, an independent civil society organisation. It counted more than 200 worker deaths in each of the five months to September 2026. Workers' groups have also documented previous fatal accidents at Habas facilities in Aliaga, including crane failures and molten steel accidents, with at least 11 workers reported killed there over the past decade.

The final casualty figures will only be known once the wreckage has been cleared, Izmir's mayor, Cemil Tugay, cautioned. It follows another deadly accident in the region in recent days.