Death toll rises to 16 in Turkish steel plant explosion

The death toll from a massive explosion at an iron and steel factory in Türkiye's western province of Izmir has risen to 16, with 13 others injured, 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.

Death toll rises to 16 in Turkish steel plant explosion

Iron ore futures finished lower Tuesday in daytime trading on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE).

The most active iron ore contract for January 2027 delivery dropped 0.07 percent to close at 684.00 yuan (about 102.53 U.S. dollars) per tonne.

Iron ore futures were launched on the Dalian Commodity Exchange in October 2013 and have since become the world's most actively traded iron ore derivatives contract.

As the world's largest importer of iron ore, China opened the contract to international investors in May 2018, further enhancing its role as a key price benchmark for the global seaborne iron ore market.

China's iron ore futures finish lower Tuesday