Turkey steel factory blast kills at least 17 people

At least 16 people have died and 13 others have been injured in an explosion at an iron and steel factory near the port city of Izmir in western Turkey.

All those killed and injured were workers at the Habas plant, one of the country's leading steel producers, authorities said. Footage from the scene showed a large fire inside the facility and a towering column of smoke rising into the air.

The local governor said the blast happened around midday after a crane carrying a replacement boiler collapsed, causing materials to fall into a furnace below.

Workplace accidents remain a chronic problem in Turkey, the Turkish Health and Safety Labor Watch, an independent civil society organisation, said.

Eyewitnesses said the explosion shook the ground, with one person initially believing an earthquake had struck.

In a statement, the company said the accident occurred during scheduled maintenance work on one of the plant's electric arc furnaces.

Izmir Governor Süleyman Elban told media that some people are believed to be still under the rubble.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting on Monday, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed the deaths and said investigations were under way, while search and rescue operations continued. He also said two of the injured were in a serious condition.

At least five people have been arrested, according BBC News's Turkish service, citing local media reports.

The Habas plant is in the Izmir district of Aliaga which is a major port and one of Turkey's main shipbreaking hubs.