A deadly explosion that occurred at the HABAS steel factory located in Aliaga, an industrial area 60 kilometers north of Izmir, Turkey, resulted in the deaths of 17 workers. Following this incident, six people were arrested by the police, and Turkey's Minister of Energy, Alparslan Bayraktar, warned that this number may increase.
Details of the Incident and Its Consequences
The explosion, which immediately drew the attention of media and officials, also injured several individuals, with at least one person in critical condition. Outside the forensic medical institution in Aliaga, grieving families spent the night waiting to identify their loved ones. One family member, Turgut Dilk, announced that his nephew, Ozkhan Afe, is one of the victims of this incident, and due to the condition of the bodies, identification will be done through DNA analysis.
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Reactions and Legal Follow-ups
While families awaited the identification of their loved ones, a 40-year-old man who was transferred to the hospital due to severe injuries from the fire outside the factory remains without news about his condition. This man had worked for years as a truck driver at the factory. Labor groups have accused the HABAS factory of having a history of unsafe practices, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promised on Monday that a thorough investigation would be conducted.
The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which focuses on Kurdish issues, emphasized that no party should be immune from legal prosecution by sending a delegation to the families and the injured. Ekrem İmamoğlu, the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul and Erdoğan's political rival, has also called for accountability in this matter, stating that death in the workplace cannot be considered fate and that the causes of the incident must be fully clarified.
The governor of Izmir, Suleyman Elban, announced that the explosion occurred during a boiler replacement operation. A 52-year-old worker named Yasin Cetiner explained that the hoist dropped a large container of molten steel, leading to a hydrogen explosion. Despite repeated requests, the HABAS factory has refrained from answering journalists' questions.
On Monday, police arrested two representatives from a labor group outside the Aliaga hospital while they were attempting to issue a statement regarding workplace safety issues. Labor groups held a protest in Aliaga on Tuesday, demanding an end to the exploitative conditions that have led to the deaths and injuries of dozens of workers.
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