Turkish authorities have ordered the detention of 11 people, including steelmaker Habaş’s chairman, after an explosion at its plant in western Turkey killed at least 17 workers, Deputy Justice Minister Can Tuncay said Tuesday.
The Nov. 9 blast struck the company’s Aliaga plant, about 300 km southwest of Istanbul, shortly before noon. The death toll rose from 16 after a critically injured worker died in hospital, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said.
A crane support beam gave way while workers were moving an electric arc furnace vessel, causing the crane and vessel to fall, Tuncay said. The accident occurred during planned maintenance, Habaş said, revising the initial account that it happened during steel casting.
Probe continues
The detention orders cover managers and engineers as well as the chairman, Tuncay said. They followed preliminary findings by experts examining the blast, and the investigation remains underway.
One worker remained unaccounted for and one of the injured was in serious condition at the time of his Tuesday briefing, Tuncay said. Habaş said it was working with authorities to establish the cause.
The Aliaga mill has operated since 1987 and has annual production capacity of 4.5 million tonnes of liquid steel, according to Habaş.
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