The explosion occurred when a crane lifting a boiler collapsed into a large industrial furnace, causing a huge fire.
The blast happened at midday local time, when a crane lifting a replacement boiler collapsed and fell into a furnace used during the liquid steel casting process.
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The fire at the HABAS plant in Aliaga, Izmir province, claimed at least 17 people's lives and also injured 13 people, two of them critically, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised address following a scheduled Cabinet meeting.
"The circumstances surrounding this tragic incident, which has deeply saddened our nation, including how and why it happened, whether there was any negligence and who bears responsibility, will be established," Erdogan said on television.
According to eye witnesses, the explosion "felt like an earthquake".
Izmir mayor Cemil Tugay said on X that rescue teams were "continuing their work to remove the collapsed platform" and that those affected were factory workers.
EU president Ursula van der Leyen has expressed her condolences
HABAS is a privately owned group and one of Turkey's top steel producers. The plant was established in 1987 and can produce 4.5 million tons of steel annually, according to the company’s website.
Workers' groups said there was a long record of safety issues at HABAS.