An explosion ripped through a steel plant in western Turkiye on Monday. At least 16 people were killed and 13 others injured, Al Jazeera reported. The blast hit the HABAS factory in Aliaga at 11:46am local time (08:46 GMT).
Aliaga lies about 60km north of Izmir, a city on the Aegean Sea. Izmir's governor said an overhead crane fell into a large industrial furnace while the boiler was being replaced. The fall set off the explosion.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced an investigation. He said two of the wounded were in serious condition. Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay said the full number of dead and injured would only be known once the rubble was cleared.
Eyewitness Deniz Ulker said the blast felt like an "earthquake". He said thick black smoke poured from the factory across the street. A fire then broke out near the chimney, he added.
Workers' groups say the plant has a long record of safety problems. The Izmir branch of Turkiye's Labour Party, a small Marxist group, called it "the third fatal incident" at the factory in three weeks. In a post on X, the party said seven employees had died in accidents at the plant over the past 10 years. It also said maintenance requirements and safety standards were not being met.
The European Union and Azerbaijan were among those who sent condolences.