Explosives and ammunition factory blast kills five in Türkiye
13 June 2023
An explosion at a rocket and explosives factory near the Turkish capital Ankara killed five workers on 10 June, authorities have said. The incident involved a ‘chemical reaction’ that caused a blast at the Machinery and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) factory in the Elmadag district, around 25 miles (40km) east of Ankara.
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Local officials have said the incident occurred in a dynamite production facility at around 08:45 local time. It is believed a chemical reaction led to an explosion, however an investigation has been opened to determine the exact circumstances.
State-owned MKE primarily produces equipment for the Turkish Armed Forces, including ammunition, weapons, artillery systems, mines, explosives, and rockets. Deputy Minister of National Defense Alpaslan Kavaklioglu said in a statement that the incident happened in a small building at the MKE factory and that video footage was being reviewed. He added that the recordings from inside the building showed nothing out of the ordinary up until the moment of the blast and that workers had seemed to be carrying out regular activities.
A number of people are believed to have been injured in addition to the five MKE workers who died. The injured include locals after the explosion shattered windows in nearby houses and buildings. Many of the wounded were treated on site, however several are being treated in hospital and are said to be in critical conditions.
Both judicial and administrative investigations have been opened into the incident.