Investigation launched into Istanbul shipyard fire that killed two workers

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation to determine the cause of a fire that broke out at the Tuzla shipyard in Istanbul on Jan. 28 and killed two workers.

As part of the investigation, the Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office instructed the police “to undertake an extensive analysis at the place of the incident, take the necessary samples and analyze them, to question the dockyard and ship personnel, and to take the statements of the witnesses and injured parties,” state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Two workers were killed and 10 others were injured in the fire which was said to have broken out during a defueling operation on Cido Shipping’s (Hong Kong) aframax tanker L2 Poseidon.

The injured workers were reported to have received various degrees of burns on their bodies and were taken to hospital and treated. One of the workers was reported to be in critical condition.
The workers who died were identified as Muhammed Ali Yılmaz and Mehmet Tutuncu, officials said.

Located in the Tuzla suburb of Istanbul, northeast of the Sea of Marmara at the entrance of the Bosphorus, Tuzla Shipyard is one of the largest shipyards in Turkey. It provides dry-docking, repair and conversion services.