Eight killed, 15 wounded in factory blast in southeastern Turkey
ISTANBUL
AA Photo
An explosion and subsequent fire at a factory in the southeastern province of Gaziantep killed eight workers and injured at least 12 people on Jan. 30.
Deputy Gov. Mevlüt Kurban said efforts were underway to find a missing person after an explosion occurred at the Southeastern Galvanization Factory, a metal processing plant. Teams removed some pipes inside the factory using cranes to find the missing worker, identified as Lütfü Çatkın.
However Gaziantep Mayor Asım Güzelbey told reporters that two workers were missing and they were believed to be under the debris. The explosion was caused by high pressure in the boilers of the factory, according to reports.
One of the workers killed and another injured were Syrian nationals, according to the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) regional representative Nihat Necati Bencan.
Speaking to online news portal Bianet, Bencan said the two workers were working at the factory unofficially.
Meanwhile, the Gaziantep Health Directorate identified the wounded workers, who were taken to four hospitals in the city, as Ayhan Keklikçi, Ali Uzunlar, Ertuğrul İnan, Mehmet Karakaya, Memik Goğüs, Faik Çetin and Mahmud Abdullah.