At least 16 people have lost their lives and around a dozen have been injured this Monday as a result of an explosion recorded at a metallurgical plant located in the Turkish city of Aliaga, in Esmirna Province, in the western part of the country, according to what Turkish authorities have reported.
The blast occurred around midday during some steel casting operations at the HABAS plant facilities. The detonation has caused a fire that has affected part of the industrial complex and has required the intervention of the Fire Department, medical personnel, and rescue teams. All the fatalities are factory employees.
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayip Erdogan, has updated the death toll, raising it to 16 the number of fatalities and placing the number of injured at 13, including two in serious condition, during a appearance before the media in which he has stated that "it will be clarified why and how this painful incident that has moved all of us occurred, who the negligent ones were and who the responsible ones are".
The Menemen Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation to clarify what happened, and four magistrates have been appointed to handle the case, as the Turkish Minister of Justice, Akin Gurlek, said through his social networks.