IZMIR: At least 17 people were killed and 12 others injured in a massive explosion at an iron and steel factory in Türkiye’s western city of Izmir.
According to authorities, all those killed and injured were employees of the factory.
Footage from the scene showed a massive fire inside the facility, with thick clouds of smoke billowing into the sky.
The local governor said the explosion occurred when a crane carrying a replacement boiler collapsed, causing the equipment it was transporting to fall into a furnace.
Eyewitnesses said the blast was so powerful that the ground shook. One witness initially thought an earthquake had struck the area.
Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban told the media that authorities feared some people could still be trapped under the debris.
