ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An explosion and subsequent fire in a steel factory in the province of Izmir in western Turkey killed six and injured 13, with the toll expected to rise as emergency teams continue rescuing people under rubble, state media reported Monday.
“Search and rescue operations are being carried out continuously and meticulously by the relevant teams to reach our citizens remaining under the rubble,” a statement from the province’s governor read, as shared by state-run Anadolu Agency.
Mustafa Ciftci, the country’s interior minister, confirmed that the explosion occurred at an iron and steel company in Izmir’s Aliaga district, with teams dispatched to the scene to carry out “search, rescue, extinguishing, and response operations,” adding that four prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the incident.
Authorities did not immediately confirm the cause of the explosion, but Turkish media reported that the blast occurred in a section where oxygen cylinders are stored.
In 2025, Turkey recorded 2,105 workplace fatalities, according to released official figures. Over 690 of these deaths occurred in the industrial sector, driven by chemical warehouse explosions, factory fires, boiler failures, and coal mine gas detonations.
This pattern continued into 2026, with at least 1,279 workers killed on the job between January and July. Industrial incidents - primarily factory explosions, gas poisonings, and thermal equipment failures - remained a leading cause of severe casualties in major manufacturing hubs.
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