Blast in Istanbul facility kills 2, injures 5 workers

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

DHA Photo

Two people were killed and five more were injured in an explosion at a gas cylinder refill facility yesterday in Istanbul’s Ümraniye district.

The blast occurred close to the Kadosan Industrial Zone, according to reports.

The explosion follows a fire last month in which 11 workers were killed when flames swept through a number of workers’ tents at a mall construction site in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district.

The fire erupted in one of the tents and soon spread through the entire site, engulfing workers in their sleep. Some workers were reportedly killed by the fire while others died of smoke inhalation.

Labor Minister Faruk Çelik said the fire at the construction site was fate, while the Turkish Union of Engineers’ and Architects’ Chambers has called on the government, local authorities and unions to tighten legal regulations.