The death toll from a major explosion and subsequent fire at an iron and steel factory in Türkiye's western province of İzmir has risen to 17, with six people detained in connection with the disaster, authorities said.
The blast occurred at 11:46 a.m. local time on Nov. 9 at the HABAŞ Iron and Steel facility in Aliağa, a major port and industrial district located about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of İzmir. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan initially announced 16 fatalities and 13 injuries following a Cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon. Later that evening, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu confirmed that one of the critically injured workers had died in the hospital, bringing the death toll to 17. At least a dozen other workers remain hospitalized.
Witnesses in the area described a powerful blast that shook nearby buildings and sent thick plumes of black smoke and gray dust into the sky. Local resident Deniz Ülker told the state-run Anadolu Agency that the explosion felt "like the earth's crust was shifting beneath us," adding that many initially mistook the impact for an earthquake.
Crane collapse during maintenance
According to İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, the explosion took place during routine biweekly maintenance and boiler replacement work on an electric arc furnace.
Elban said an overhead ceiling crane snapped while lifting heavy equipment, causing the load to crash into the furnace and strike a natural gas line. Although active steel production was paused in that section for the scheduled maintenance, approximately 20 of the plant's more than 300 on-duty employees were working in the immediate vicinity when the platform collapsed.
Firefighters, disaster management crews and medical teams were dispatched to extinguish the blaze and pull trapped workers from the debris. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay noted on social media that rescue crews had to work through heavy structural rubble from the collapsed platform to reach the victims.
Six detained as prosecutors investigate
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that the Menemen Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an immediate criminal investigation into the incident, assigning four public prosecutors and a panel of technical experts to examine the site. Authorities subsequently detained six suspects as part of the inquiry. Additionally, the Aliağa Penal Judgeship of Peace issued a temporary broadcast and publication ban regarding the ongoing investigation file.
Speaking after Monday's Cabinet meeting, Erdoğan pledged a thorough inquiry into the disaster. "The circumstances surrounding this tragic incident, which has deeply saddened our nation, including how and why it happened, whether there was any negligence and who bears responsibility, will be established," he said.
Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan, who traveled to Aliağa alongside Bayraktar and Memişoğlu to inspect the facility, stated that the Social Security Institution (SGK) has appointed a chief inspector to conduct an administrative investigation.
Scrutiny over workplace safety record
Established in 1987, the Aliağa plant is operated by HABAŞ, a privately owned conglomerate and one of Türkiye's largest steel and industrial gas producers, with an annual production capacity of 4.5 million metric tons of steel.
The disaster has drawn renewed attention from labor unions, legal associations and workplace safety monitors regarding conditions at the Aliağa industrial zone. According to the İzmir provincial branch of the Labor Party (EMEP), Monday's blast marked the third fatal workplace incident at the HABAŞ complex in the past three weeks, following at least seven other worker fatalities recorded at the facility over the last decade.
Data from HABAŞ's own corporate sustainability reporting, cited by Turkish media outlet Diken, showed that recorded workplace accidents at the company rose by 56 percent in a single year, climbing from 147 incidents in 2024 to 229 in 2025. In its report, the company identified being caught between heavy objects, exposure to extreme heat and falls as the primary operational hazards at its facilities.
The Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) issued a statement calling for full legal accountability, emphasizing that the strict implementation of occupational health and safety measures is a binding legal obligation. Meanwhile, workers at the Aliağa plant were reportedly instructed by management to report to their units on Tuesday morning, though production operations remain suspended.
