Habas Demir Celik: 17 die as crane drops boiler into Izmir furnace

At around midday on 9 November 2026, a crane carrying a replacement boiler collapsed at the Habas Demir Celik iron and steel plant in the Aliaga district of Izmir province, western Turkey. The materials fell into a furnace below during the liquid steel casting process, triggering an explosion and fire. At least 17 workers were killed and 12 others injured, some critically. All those killed and injured were workers at the plant.

The local governor said the blast happened around midday after the crane collapsed. Initial findings describe a ceiling crane snapping and falling into an arc furnace during casting. Eyewitnesses said the blast felt like an earthquake. Search and rescue operations continued for workers feared trapped under rubble.

Around 200 workers were at the site instead of the usual 300 because production had been halted. The maintenance work — replacing a boiler — was underway during that pause. What caused the crane to collapse while lifting the replacement boiler is not yet established.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially announced 16 deaths. Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu later confirmed that a critically injured worker had died, raising the toll to 17. Erdogan said judicial and administrative investigations had been launched to establish how and why it happened, whether there was negligence, and who bears responsibility.

The disaster underscores that workplace accidents remain a chronic problem in Turkey, according to the Turkish Health and Safety Labor Watch, an independent civil society organisation. It raises questions about maintenance procedures and safety oversight at major industrial facilities, and about how quickly and transparently official death tolls and accountability are established.

The Habas plant is one of Turkey's leading steel producers.