11.11.2026 10:01
After the explosion at the HABAŞ Iron and Steel Factory in İzmir's Aliağa district, in which 18 workers lost their lives, discussions on occupational safety and inspections continue, while a wreath sent on behalf of HABAŞ at the funeral area drew attention. The factory, where 18 workers lost their lives, sending a wreath to the funeral became one of the details that drew reaction at a time when debates over responsibility for the disaster continue.
An investigation is ongoing after an explosion that occurred during midday hours the previous day at the HABAŞ Iron and Steel Factory on the Yeni Foça road in the Aliağa district of İzmir. Initially, the bodies of 17 workers were reached, while Deputy Minister of Justice Can Tuncay announced in a statement that one worker was missing. As a result of the work that continued during the day, the body of the missing worker was also reached.
DEATH TOLL RISES TO 18
The last worker whose body was reached in the search efforts carried out after the explosion was identified as Güner Gökçe. Thus, the number of workers who lost their lives in the explosion at the factory rose to 18, while 14 people were reported injured. It was learned that Gökçe's funeral will be buried tomorrow in the Paşalı Village Cemetery in the Şenkaya district of Erzurum, his hometown.
WREATH FROM THE FACTORY DREW ATTENTION
After the explosion in which 18 workers lost their lives, while debates continue regarding the factory's security measures and inspection processes, a photograph taken in front of the building where the funeral ceremony was held drew attention. In the images, many people are seen sitting on the balcony of the building, and on the lower floor there is a funeral wreath bearing the words "HABAŞ DEMİR ÇELİK A.Ş."
After the disaster, while questions about the adequacy of occupational safety measures remain on the agenda, the presence of the wreath bearing the name of the factory where 18 workers lost their lives in the funeral area was also one of the notable details.
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD DETAINED
Meanwhile, within the scope of the investigation launched into the explosion, HABAŞ Chairman of the Board Mehmet Rüştü Başaran was detained. Teams from the Wanted Persons Bureau of the Public Order Branch Directorate of the Istanbul Police Department caught Başaran in the Kartal district of Istanbul.
Başaran, who was detained within the scope of the investigation into the explosion in which 18 people lost their lives and 14 people were injured, was taken to the Public Order Branch Directorate for procedures.
EXPECTED TO BE HANDED OVER TO İZMİR POLICE
Mehmet Rüştü Başaran, who was detained in Istanbul, is expected to be sent to İzmir, where the investigation is being conducted, after his police procedures are completed. The investigation into the cause of the explosion and occupational safety practices at the factory continues.