The death toll from Monday's explosion at the HABAŞ iron and steel plant in Aliağa, in Turkey's İzmir province, has risen to 17 workers. The blast happened around midday on November 9 during maintenance work, setting off a fire and causing parts of the industrial facility to collapse. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan first announced 16 deaths and 13 injured, but one critically injured worker later died in hospital. Officials reported that 12 people were still injured, including one in critical condition, and the fire was eventually put out. Early reports spoke of 10 dead, 15 injured and several missing, so the numbers changed fast as rescuers reached the site.

Authorities have opened a criminal investigation, and six people have been detained as prosecutors look into possible negligence and safety failures. The exact cause of the explosion has not been officially established. Some early accounts and footage point to a structural collapse and fire inside the plant, but you should treat details such as a crane falling into a furnace as unconfirmed until investigators say so. Local reporting has also pointed out earlier accidents at the same facility, including a furnace explosion in 2018 that injured five workers and one in September 2025 that injured seven. The big questions now are what went wrong, whether warning signs were missed, and who will be held responsible.