Turkey steel plant blast kills 17 workers near Izmir

A blast at the Habas Demir Celik steel plant in Aliaga, near Izmir in western Turkey, killed at least 17 workers on Monday and injured 12 others, authorities said. Officials said the explosion happened around midday during work on an electric arc furnace. Accounts differed on the exact trigger: one official said a crane collapsed and sent material into the furnace, while the company said the accident occurred during scheduled maintenance. Footage from the scene showed flames, smoke and dust rising above the facility. Search and rescue teams were still working through rubble, and investigations were under way into one of Turkey's deadliest recent industrial accidents.