ALIAGA: Six people were arrested overnight after a huge blast at a steel plant near the western city of Izmir killed 17 workers, with grieving families waiting to receive their loved ones' bodies for burial. Onlookers said the massive explosion felt like "an earthquake" when it ripped through the HABAS steel factory in Aliaga, a district 60 kilometres north of Izmir known for shipbreaking and heavy industry.
Police have so far detained six people in connection with the incident, with Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar warning "the number could rise". The deadly blast at one of Türkiye's top steel producers also left around a dozen people injured, at least one in critical condition.
Outside the forensic institute in Aliaga, bereaved family members said that they had been waiting all night for confirmation that their loved ones had been identified so they could be laid to rest. "We have been here since yesterday, we're waiting for the DNA results. Since the bodies are in a condition that makes visual identification impossible, the identification process is carried out through DNA analysis," said Turgut Dilek, saying his nephew Ozcan Efe was one of the dead. — AFP
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