ANKARA, Nov.9 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a massive explosion at an iron and steel factory in Türkiye's western province of Izmir has risen to 16, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
Erdogan said at a press conference that an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the blast and those responsible for the negligence.
The blast occurred at around 12:00 p.m. local time (0900 GMT) at the HABAS iron and steel plant in the Aliaga district, the Izmir Governor's Office said in a statement.
It occurred during planned maintenance on one of its electric arc furnaces, according to a statement from HABAS. The explosion caused severe structural damage and sparked a fire, later brought under control by emergency crews.
Top officials, including the Labor and Social Security Minister and Energy and Natural Resources Minister, have traveled to Izmir to oversee the operations. ■
