The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, conveyed her condolences this Monday to the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after the explosion that occurred at a metallurgical plant in the town of Aliaga, in the province of Izmir, in western Turkey, an incident that has left at least 16 dead and thirteen injured, two of them in serious condition.
"I am deeply saddened by the news of an explosion at the steel plant in Aliaga. My most sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. I wish the injured workers a complete and rapid recovery," the head of the Community Executive said in a message shared on her social media.
The Community official also wanted to address the Turkish President directly to convey her support and closeness in light of what happened. "Dear Erdogan, my thoughts are with Turkey at this difficult time," she added.
The blast occurred this Monday at midday during some steel casting operations at the HABAS plant, which has caused a fire that affected part of the industrial complex and has required the intervention of fire-fighting units, medical teams, and rescue units. All the fatalities belong to the workforce of the factory.
On the other hand, Erdogan emphasized that Turkish institutions will thoroughly investigate what happened in order to clarify the causes of the incident and determine possible responsibilities. "It will be clarified why and how this painful incident occurred that has moved all of us, who were the negligent ones and who the responsible parties are," he said.