Turkey steel factory blast kills at least 16 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.