Explosion at steel factory near Izmir kills six, injures around 14

A powerful explosion at an iron and steel factory near Izmir in western Turkey killed six people and injured around 14 others.

The incident occurred on Monday. The death toll rose gradually during the search-and-rescue operation, local authorities said.

In its initial report, the governor’s office said three people had died, 14 were injured and 10 others were trapped under the rubble. Authorities later confirmed that one of the injured had died, as had two people pulled from the rubble who did not survive their injuries.

Those deaths brought the toll to six. Search-and-rescue teams continued working at the factory, while authorities monitored developments and investigated the circumstances of the explosion.

Deniz Ulker, a witness who was passing the factory when the explosion occurred, said the shaking felt like an earthquake.

“It felt as though the ground was moving beneath our feet, and I thought there had been an earthquake. When I looked at the factory across the road, I saw thick black smoke coming from it. The fire had broken out in the area where the chimney was located,” Ulker told the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Authorities have not yet said what caused the incident.