09.11.2026 21:11
After the explosion at the HABAŞ Iron and Steel Factory in Aliağa, İzmir, in which 16 people lost their lives, a striking detail emerged. It was learned that HABAŞ Board of Directors Chairman Mehmet Rüştü Başaran was sentenced on May 21, 2026, to 4 years, 10 months, and 10 days in prison due to the LPG tanker explosion in Kocaeli in 2017, in which one worker died and 10 people were injured. It was recorded that the Kocaeli 1st High Criminal Court found Başaran and four company officials primarily at fault and imposed a ban from profession.
An explosion occurred at around 12:00 at the facilities of HABAŞ Industrial and Medical Gases Production Industry Inc., operating in the Bozköy Neighborhood of Aliağa district. Following the explosion, which is assessed to have occurred when the overhead crane broke and fell into the arc furnace during the liquid steel casting process, a fire broke out at the facility. So far, 16 workers have lost their lives in the disaster.
INVESTIGATION INITIATED
While the Menemen Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has initiated a judicial investigation into the disaster, inspectors from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security are continuing their examinations at the facility.
HABAŞ'S BOSS SENTENCED TO 4 YEARS 10 MONTHS IN PRISON
After the explosion, a striking detail about the company management emerged. It was learned that HABAŞ Board Chairman Mehmet Rüştü Başaran was found primarily at fault and sentenced to 4 years 10 months 10 days in prison and disqualification from profession by the Kocaeli 1st Heavy Penal Court on May 21, 2026, in the case of the LPG tanker explosion in Kocaeli in 2017 in which 1 person died.