Eleven people died and seven were injured this Tuesday in an explosion that occurred in a munitions factory in northwest Turkey, indicated a new assessment by the authorities.
«Unfortunately there are eleven dead (…), eight women and three men. And we have seven wounded,” declared the Turkish Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, at the scene.
A previous report reported twelve dead and five injured.
The cause: “A technical failure”
According to the governor of Balikesir, Ismail Ustaoglu, the explosion occurred shortly before 8:30 a.m. (05:30 GMT) due to a “technical failure” on a production line.
Of the seven injured, only two remain “under observation” in a hospital, indicated the Turkish Interior Minister.
The factory where the explosion took place, north of the city of Balikesir, produces ammunition and explosives for civilian use, authorities reported.
Second explosion in ten years
Six employees of the same factory had already been injured in another explosion in 2014, according to the Turkish press.
Images broadcast on television showed a part of the plant completely destroyed as well as fragments of glass and metal scattered outside the premises.
The Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation
The authorities ofthey ruled out an act of sabotage and the prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the incident.
The explosion occurred in a part of the plant where capsules were produced, the governor said, adding that this section collapsed due to the force of the explosion.
The factory is located one kilometer from the nearest town, in the north of the city of Balikesir, according to satellite images consulted by AFP.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was “deeply saddened by the death of 12 brothers», in a message on the social network X.
The president said he had given instructions for “the necessary investigation to begin immediately in all aspects.”
Türkiye has become a major exporter of defense material, especially drones, and Erdogan is one of the main defenders of this industry.
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