Turkey: ‘Explosion Kills 11’

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (Worthy News) – Investigators rushed to the scene of a blast that ripped through an explosives factory in northwest Turkey, killing 11 people and injuring seven.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the injured were treated at nearby hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials said the blast occurred in Balikesir province, a rural area away from population centers.

Balikesir Governor Ismail Ustaoglu said the explosion collapsed the capsule production building, and the surrounding buildings suffered minor damage. “The explosion was due to a technical issue. There is no possibility of sabotage,” he added.

He spoke amid concerns in Turkey about possible terror attacks as it fights against Kurdish forces, including in Syria.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched a counteroffensive Tuesday against the Ankara-backed Syrian National Army to take back areas near Syria’s northern border with Turkey.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc wrote on social media platform X that public prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the cause of Tuesday’s blast.

However, that investigation was due to take time, with witnesses seeing massive devastation.

Footage from the scene showed a fireball and smoke rising from the factory building at the time of the blast, as well as the mangled metal framework of the building in the aftermath.

As relatives of the dead plunged into mourning, man fire crews were sent to deal with the blaze, while health and security units were dispatched to the area, the government’s communications directorate confirmed.

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