Explosion and fire at steel plant in western Turkey kill 16, Erdogan says

An explosion struck the HABAS (Habas Demir Celik) steel plant in Aliaga, in Izmir province in western Turkey, on Monday, 9 November 2026. A fire followed the blast.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 16 people were killed and 13 injured. Authorities are investigating. Search and rescue teams were looking for people possibly trapped under rubble.

The blast happened around midday local time, according to Izmir governor Suleyman Elban or his office. Deutsche Welle (DW) gives the time as around noon (09:00 GMT).

According to DW, Erdogan gave the figures on Monday evening after a Cabinet meeting. Two of the injured were seriously hurt, DW reported. Officials, including Governor Elban, had given lower figures earlier in the day. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Elban said eight workers were trapped at the plant.

An earlier statement from the governor's office said an overhead crane toppled into a furnace during the casting of liquid steel, according to DW. The governor said a shift change was under way, with about 200 workers present instead of the expected 300. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not establish an official cause.

The state-run Anadolu news agency quoted eyewitness Nuri Ali Ulker as calling the blast "very intense" and saying "The ground shook," according to DW. Another eyewitness, Deniz Ulker, told Anadolu it "felt like the earth's crust was shifting beneath us. I thought it was an earthquake," DW reported.

Footage posted online showed thick smoke and flames appearing to engulf a tall structure, according to SCMP. Izmir mayor Cemil Tugay wrote on X that the initial fire had been extinguished, DW reported. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said the injured were in hospital and being closely monitored. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said four public prosecutors had been assigned to the case.

The plant was established in 1987 and can produce 4.5 million tons of steel a year, according to the company's website, as cited by DW. Separately, the independent NGO Health and Safety Labor Watch recorded 226 workplace deaths in Turkey in September 2026, DW reported.

What is disputed

SCMP's headline gave 10 dead, which conflicts with the 16 dead in its own article text. DW places the plant in the port city of Izmir; SCMP says it is about 60 km (37 miles) north of the city.

What each side says

Mayor Tugay said the exact toll would be clear only after the debris is cleared. The leftist Workers' Party of Turkey (TIP) called the incident "workplace homicide." TIP leader Erkan Bas wrote online that "[t]he regime of bosses has declared war on the workers." Union leader Basaran Aksu said "the massacre calls for the resignation of the minister of labor," according to DW.

The reports do not include a statement from HABAS or a response from the labor ministry. They do not identify the victims or say whether the eight trapped workers are counted in the toll.

Analysis

The toll of 16 dead may not be final; the mayor said figures depend on clearing the debris, and the status of workers reported trapped is unclear. The four prosecutors and other investigations are likely to focus on the cause, including the governor's office's early overhead-crane account, which has not been officially confirmed. Opposition and union calls for accountability may increase pressure on the labor ministry. Whether that leads to policy changes depends on findings not yet available. The national workplace death figure provides context, but it does not explain this incident.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.