Ankara, February 04: Two explosions have left 12 people dead and dozens of others wounded within hours in Turkey’s industrial park, officials say.
The first blast ripped through a paint-production plant in the Turkish capital city of Ankara on Thursday morning, collapsing two stories of a four-storey building, where generators were produced.
At least eight people were killed and 34 others were injured. There were still five workers buried under the debris.
In the second blast, four people were killed at the same plant and eight were injured and 12 more were trapped, Governor Alaaddin Yuksel told reporters, Hurriyet daily reported.
Officials suspect that both blasts were due to gas explosions. Toxic chemicals and fire have made it difficult to rescue those trapped in the premises, Yuksel said, adding that the plant lacked a proper license for paint production.
The blasts, which were heard several kilometers away, also shattered windows of a nearby building and parked cars.
Television footage showed firefighters were battling flames as black smoke poured out of a building.
Yuksel said that around half of the factory’s 80 workers had escaped the blast unharmed.
——–Agencies