ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least five people were killed Saturday in an explosion at a rocket and explosives factory in Turkey’s capital Ankara, the defense ministry announced.
“An explosion occurred at the MKE Rocket and Explosives Factory in the Elmadag district of Ankara. As a result of the explosion, five of our workers have been martyred,” the ministry said in a statement.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, and the bodies of the victims have been uncovered from the rubble.
The factory where the blast took place belongs to Turkey’s state-owned Machinery and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE), which is a part of the defense ministry.
Ankara Governor Vasip Sahin said the explosion was caused by a “chemical reaction” inside a department of the factory that specializes in preparing dynamite and added that there were no additional workers hospitalized or unaccounted for.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was briefed about the explosion by Defense Minister Yasar Guler in a phone call. He expressed his condolences and urged an investigation.
In October of last year, a blast in a coal mine in the Turkish northern province of Bartin killed at least 41 people. The explosion prompted letters of condolences from the Kurdistan Region’s top leaders.
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