Developing: Crane fell into furnace before deadly HABAŞ blast, governor says
A crane fell into a furnace during maintenance at the plant in western Turkey, the governor said. Five people have been detained as investigators examine how the disaster happened.
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by Sami Haddad
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An explosion at the HABAŞ steelworks in western Turkey killed 17 people, prompting a criminal investigation into a maintenance operation in which a crane reportedly collapsed into a furnace.
The blast struck around midday on November 9 at the iron and steel plant in Aliağa, an industrial district about 60 kilometres north of İzmir. Fire and a large cloud of smoke rose over the site.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan initially announced that 16 people had died and 13 were receiving medical treatment, including two in critical condition. Turkey's health minister later raised the death toll to 17 after a critically injured person died. The updated toll stood at 17 dead and 13 injured.
Five people have been detained and four prosecutors assigned to investigate, according to Africanews.
Witness Deniz Ülker told AFP the explosion felt like an "earthquake" and described thick smoke and flames. Footage from the scene showed fire beneath a large smoke cloud.
