Reports indicate the blast took place at an explosives factory in the northwestern province of Balikesir.
Media agencies in Turkey reported on Tuesday that a blast at a factory in the northwest has claimed the lives of at least 12 people and injured four others.
According to reports, the explosion took place at an explosive manufacturing factory in the Karesi district in the province of Balikesir, south of Istanbul.
Local governor Ismail Ustaoglu was cited as being the source of the information.
Plant produces munitions and explosives
The blast took place at 8:25 am (0525 GMT/UTC) at a section of the plant, the governor said, adding that part of the building collapsed.
The plant, located in the cillage of Kavakli, produces munitions, explosives and flares for the domestic and international markets.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying that the cause of the blast, which is located away from residential areas, was not immediately known.
“We are trying to find out what caused it,” he said.
Erdogan says ‘saddened’ by incident
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Turkish he was “deeply saddened by the death of 12 brothers,” in a post on social platform X.
Authorities have ruled out sabotage while an investigation into the cause of the explosion has been launched.
In 2020 an explosion at a fireworks factory killed at least four people and injured scores of others.
