Explosion at HABAS steel plant in Aliaga, Turkey: reports give different death tolls and describe the circumstances differently

An explosion and fire at the HABAS iron and steel plant in Aliaga, in Turkey's western Izmir province, killed people on Monday, 9 November, per an Associated Press report carried by the Winnipeg Free Press and a report by CGTN. This piece is as of the evening of 9 November; the two reports give different figures.

Casualty figures

The AP report says three people were dead, 14 injured, three of them critically, and 10 workers trapped under rubble as rescuers searched, citing the provincial governor's office (Winnipeg Free Press). CGTN says Erdogan told a press conference that the death toll had risen to 16. The outlets do not say whether the 16 includes the workers the AP described as missing, and we have not reconciled the figures.

The cause and the response

The governor's office said the blast happened around noon when an overhead crane toppled into a furnace during the casting of liquid steel, and that an investigation had been launched (Winnipeg Free Press). CGTN reports a HABAS statement saying it occurred during planned maintenance on one of its electric arc furnaces; the explosion caused severe structural damage and a fire that emergency crews later brought under control. Erdogan said an investigation was under way to determine the cause and those responsible for negligence (CGTN).

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said emergency teams fought the blaze while searching for casualties, adding that the injured had been taken to hospitals (Winnipeg Free Press). CGTN says the labor and social security minister and the energy and natural resources minister travelled to Izmir to oversee operations. A witness quoted by the state-run Anadolu agency said the ground shook and the blast was very intense, the AP report says.