Many people were killed and scores of others injured Monday when an explosion ripped through an iron and steel factory near Türkiye's western resort city of Izmir, the governor's office said.
In a statement, the governor's office said rescuers were also looking for many other people thought to be trapped under the rubble at the Habas Demir Çelik factory in Aliağa, north of Izmir.
The explosion occurred at a steel production facility in Aliağa, one of Izmir's major industrial hubs, for reasons that have yet to be determined.
The blast was accompanied by a deafening noise, sending thick clouds of smoke billowing into the sky above the facility.
The force of the explosion sparked panic in the surrounding area, prompting authorities to dispatch numerous firefighters, medical personnel, police officers and search-and-rescue teams to the scene.
Emergency medical teams provided initial treatment to the injured at the site before transporting them by ambulance to nearby hospitals in Aliağa for further medical care.
