Habas steel plant explosion in western Turkey kills 16 workers
An explosion during a boiler replacement at the Habas steel plant in Turkey killed workers and injured others, sparking calls for an investigation.
An explosion at the Habas Demir Çelik steel plant in Aliağa, İzmir province, killed 16 workers and injured 13 on Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed after a cabinet meeting, as rescue teams continued searching for people trapped beneath collapsed structures.
The blast occurred at 11:46 a.m. Local time (08:46 GMT) during a boiler replacement operation at the privately owned facility, about 60 kilometres north of the Aegean port city of İzmir. İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban said an overhead crane collapsed into an electric arc furnace while liquid steel was being cast, damaging a natural gas line and triggering the explosion. Worker Yasin Çetiner, 52, told AFP the crane rope snapped, dropping roughly 120 tonnes of molten steel into the furnace; contact with water-cooled panels produced a hydrogen explosion. "If the liquid steel falls on water, and it's 1,800 degrees, a massive explosion happens," he said.
Media additions
Casualty figures shifted through the day
Early statements from the governor's office cited six dead, 14 injured and 10 trapped. By late afternoon Erdoğan raised the death toll to 16 with 13 injured, two critically. Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu later updated the figure to 17 after one critically injured worker died, though most official channels continued to reference 16 fatalities. Elban said four people were believed trapped under debris; other reports put the number of missing at 10. Mayor Cemil Tugay warned the final count would only be known once the rubble was cleared.
| Source / Time | Deaths | Injured | Trapped / Missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Governor's office (initial) | 6 | 14 | 10 trapped |
| Erdoğan (post-cabinet) | 16 | 13 | — |
| Health Minister Memişoğlu (later) | 17 | — | , |
| Governor Elban (evening) | 16 | 15 | 4 trapped |
Long-standing safety concerns resurface
Workers' groups and opposition voices pointed to a pattern of fatal incidents at the plant. The leftist daily Evrensel reported at least 11 worker deaths at Habas over the past decade. Turkey's Labour Party, a small Marxist faction, said Monday's blast was the third fatal accident at the site in three weeks. The İzmir chapter of the party wrote on X that seven employees had died in accidents over the past 10 years and that maintenance requirements and safety standards were not being met. "The Habas management's blind greed for profit has resulted in a major disaster today," said Oktay Türk, spokesman for the Aegean Workers' Collective, calling for the immediate release of two collective representatives arrested outside the hospital where the wounded were taken.
The pro-Kurdish DEM Party called the disaster "unacceptable" and demanded a transparent investigation. Co-chair Tulay Haimogullari planned to visit the site Tuesday morning for a press conference. "The causes of the explosion, any negligence and lack of oversight must be brought to light transparently, and not a single responsible party must go unpunished," the party said.
Official investigations launched
Erdoğan announced both judicial and administrative investigations. "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. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek assigned four public prosecutors to the case. Labour and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan said the Social Security Institution had appointed a chief inspector. Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi confirmed emergency teams were coordinating search-and-rescue efforts.
Approximately 200 workers were on site during the maintenance shift, compared with more than 300 during regular production, Elban said. No arrests had been reported as of Monday evening.
Tensions outside hospital and factory
Evrensel reported anti-riot police deployed outside Aliağa hospital, blocking access. The brother of one deceased worker reportedly set himself alight outside the factory in protest; bystanders intervened and took him to hospital. His condition was unclear. The atmosphere at both locations was described as very tense. Angry workers called for a protest Tuesday evening in an Aliağa square under the banner "Enough is enough, we do not want to die!"
International condolences
Azerbaijan and Ukraine were among the first to offer condolences. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said it was "deeply saddened" and extended sympathies to the families and the Turkish state. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X: "A deeply distressing tragedy at an iron and steel factory in Türkiye that claimed lives and left people injured. Every life lost leaves grief, and I extend our condolences to those who lost their loved ones, President Erdoğan @RTErdogan, and all the people of Türkiye." The European Union also sent condolences.
What to watch next
- Final casualty count once debris removal is complete.
- Findings of the four-prosecutor judicial investigation and the parallel administrative probe.
- Labour Ministry inspector's report on safety compliance at Habas.
- Tuesday's planned DEM Party press conference and workers' protest in Aliağa.
- Potential regulatory action against Habas, one of Turkey's largest steel producers.
Habas declined to answer questions from AFP and other outlets. The plant remains closed while emergency crews work through the wreckage.
