Turkey arrests six over deadly blast at Izmir steel plant

Explosion kills seventeen workers

A huge blast ripped through the Habas steel factory in Aliaga, a district sixty kilometres north of Izmir. Onlookers described the sound as feeling like an earthquake when it occurred overnight on Monday. Six people were arrested immediately after the incident while grieving families waited to receive bodies for burial. The explosion killed seventeen workers and left around a dozen others injured during the disaster.

Injuries and identification efforts

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar warned that the number of arrests could rise as investigations continue. At least one injured person remains in critical condition outside the forensic institute in Aliaga. Mourners speaking to AFP stated they waited through the entire night for DNA outcomes that would identify the deceased. Visual identification was impossible because the bodies were in a condition that required scientific analysis.

Political response and protests

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised that investigators would uncover the truth about the incident at the site. Workers groups accused Habas of having a chequered safety record before this recent tragedy occurred. A delegation from Turkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party visited families led by co-chair Tulay Hatimogullari on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a forty-year-old man who set himself alight outside the factory was taken to hospital with severe injuries.