Nine arrested, two placed under house arrest over factory explosion in Aliağa
Nine people have been arrested over the explosion at HABAŞ Iron and Steel Factory in Aliağa that killed 18 workers. HABAŞ Chairman Mehmet Rüştü Başaran was placed under house arrest
RastinewsThe investigation into an explosion that killed 18 workers at HABAŞ Iron and Steel Factory in İzmir's Aliağa district has taken a new turn.
Eleven suspects detained after the blast were referred to Aliağa Courthouse once gendarmerie proceedings were completed.
After giving statements to prosecutors, the suspects appeared before the on-duty judge. The judge ordered nine of them arrested on charges of "causing the death of more than one person."
HABAŞ Chairman Mehmet Rüştü Başaran and one other suspect were placed under house arrest.
18 workers killed
The death toll from the explosion in the steelmaking section of HABAŞ Iron and Steel Factory, located in Aliağa's Bozköy neighborhood, had risen to 18.
Following the incident, authorities detained the company's Chairman Mehmet Rüştü Başaran along with the factory manager and employer's representative, the quality and planning manager, the administrative manager, the company's Aliağa branch manager, the steelmaking manager, the mechanical maintenance chief, the steelmaking chief, a periodic inspection engineer, a department engineer and a crane mechanical maintenance engineer.
The judicial investigation into the incident is ongoing.