The death toll from the explosion and fire at the Habas iron and steel plant in Aliaga, in Turkey's western Izmir province, has risen to 10, Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban announced at around 4.45 pm local time on Monday, November 9. Fifteen people are being treated in hospital and four workers remain missing, according to the governor's latest figures, reported by Turkish Minute and other outlets following his televised update.

Source: Turkish Minute via Stockholm Center for Freedom, Nov 9, 2026

The blast struck the plant, in an industrial district about 60 kilometres north of Izmir city, at around noon local time (0900 GMT) on Monday. According to the Izmir governor's office, an overhead crane broke loose and toppled into an electric arc furnace while liquid steel was being cast, triggering the explosion and a fire that brought down a platform and trapped workers under debris.

Source: Associated Press via Fire Engineering, Nov 9, 2026

How the toll climbed through the day

The governor's office first reported three dead, 14 injured and 10 people trapped under the rubble. The toll later rose to six after one injured worker died in hospital and two more bodies were recovered from the wreckage, with 13 injured and eight people then unaccounted for. Governor Elban's afternoon update raised the confirmed deaths to 10 and the number in hospital to 15, with four workers still missing as rescue teams work to clear the collapsed platform.

Source: Fact.net.in, Nov 9, 2026

Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay said all of the casualties were factory workers and that the exact number of victims would become clear only once the debris is removed. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said firefighters and search-and-rescue teams were coordinating the emergency response at the site.

Investigation opened

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said four public prosecutors have been assigned to the case and an investigation has been launched, and the governor's office said its inquiry into the cause is under way. The preliminary official assessment points to the crane falling into the furnace during casting; no final cause has been established.

The Habas plant was established in 1987 and can produce about 4.5 million tons of steel a year, according to the company's website. Turkish Minute reported that the explosion follows two other reported worker deaths at the Habas site in recent weeks. The independent Health and Safety Labor Watch (ISIG) monitoring group says 1,736 workers died in Turkey in the first nine months of 2026, including 226 in September.

Source: The Levant Files, Nov 9, 2026

What happens next

Rescue teams are continuing to search the wreckage for the four missing workers, and officials have warned the final casualty figures could change once the debris is fully cleared. Awaaz Punjab will update this story as the governor's office and prosecutors release verified new figures.