At least five people were killed in an explosion at a rocket and explosives plant in the Elmadag district of Ankara province, Turkey's Ministry of National Defense said. The incident occurred at the plant of MKE ("Engineering and Chemical Industry") on Saturday morning, June 10.
"An explosion occurred at the MKE missile factory in the Elmadag district of Ankara. As a result, five of our workers were killed. A judicial and administrative investigation has been launched, "RIA Novosti quotes the statement of the department.
According to the governor of the province, Wasip Shahin, the cause of the explosion, according to preliminary data, could be an uncontrolled chemical reaction during the production of explosives.
"At about 08:45, an explosion occurred in the dynamite production workshop, caused, as it is believed, by a chemical reaction. Five workers were killed. Rescuers reached all the people under the rubble, there were no wounded, "TASS quoted the governor of Ankara as saying.
According to CNN Türk, the company produces ammunition for the needs of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country. Two prosecutors have been appointed to investigate the incident, and investigative actions are underway at the facility.
According to the Ihlas agency, the explosion at the enterprise was heard by residents of nearby areas. A column of smoke rising from the scene was also visible. It is reported that after the emergency, relatives of people who worked at the facility went to the plant.
According to Habertürk, windows were shattered in several buildings located near the site of the explosion.
According to Turkish Deputy Defense Minister Alpaslan Kavaklyoglu, the explosion occurred in a small building on the territory of the enterprise. According to him, law enforcement agencies got acquainted with the video recordings from the scene of the incident and did not see "anything extraordinary" immediately before the explosion - the workers of the enterprise were engaged in ordinary business.
According to Cumhuriyet with reference to the Minister of Labor and Social Protection Vedat Ishihan, a coordination team has been formed to investigate the incident. In turn, the communications department of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the head of state was notified of the incident during a conversation with Defense Minister Yashar Guler. The President expressed his condolences to the family members of those killed as a result of the emergency.
Güler cut short a planned trip to Hatay province and headed to Ankara, where the MKE plant is located.
Man-made accidents in Turkey
In December 2022, an explosion occurred in the Black Sea port of Samsun in northern Turkey, after which a fire also started. According to local authorities, the incident occurred due to overheating of the tank in which the used oil was stored.
In mid-October 2022, an explosion in a mine in the Turkish province of Bartın killed at least 40 people. It was reported that the explosion occurred at a depth of about 300 m. According to media reports, at the time of the incident at the facility were more than 100 miners, more than half of them were evacuated.