Turkey Steel Plant Blast Kills 16 as COP31 Opens

Sixteen people died when an overhead crane fell into a liquid steel furnace at the Habas iron and steel plant in Aliaga, Izmir province, on Monday. The collapse triggered a massive explosion and fire around noon local time, which corresponds to 9 a.m. GMT. President Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the death toll in the afternoon, while ten individuals remained trapped beneath the debris as rescue teams worked through the night.

Fourteen workers sustained injuries in the blast, with three listed in serious condition. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci stated that emergency services, including firefighters and search and rescue units, coordinated the immediate response. He noted that injured citizens were transported to hospitals where their health is under close monitoring. The governor's office announced that an official investigation into the incident was underway.

Local officials cautioned that the final casualty count could shift once the wreckage is fully cleared. Cemil Tugay, the mayor of Izmir, emphasized that exact figures require the removal of the debris to verify all locations of the missing. The plant is located in the Aliaga district, a key industrial hub in western Turkey.

Witnesses described the force of the blast as resembling an earthquake. Nuri Ali Ulker said the ground shook intensely during the event. Another witness, Deniz Ulker, described the sensation as the earth's crust shifting beneath them. The timing of the disaster coincides with the opening of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, where global leaders and environmental activists are gathered on the Mediterranean coast.