A powerful explosion shocked Istanbul today afternoon at 2:35 p.m. The explosion injured 12 people in the silo complex of the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) at the port of Derince on the Sea of Marmara, in the northwestern province of Kocaeli.
Work has begun to put out the fire that broke out after the explosion. The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure stated that after the incident and the inspections carried out no obstacle to the service of the ships in the port has been found.
The accident occurred during the transfer of wheat from a ship to the silo of the TMO, as reported by the Governor of Kocaeli Sedar Yavuz. No casualties were reportedor people left under the wreckage.
Three of the injured are in a serious, life-threatening condition and were hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the state hospital in the region, Yavuz reported.
The impact of the explosion was felt throughout the city of 16 million.
The windows of thousands of housing cooperatives in the area were shattered by the powerful shock wave.
Huge balls of smoke could be seen from all corners of the metropolis.
Immediately after the explosion, firefighters were dispatched to the areateams of the Ankara Presidency Directorate for Emergency Situations and Combating Natural Disasters (AFAD), police and rulers.
As of now authorities have not issued an official statement on the cause of the explosion. The mayor of Derinche, Zeki Aigun, revealed that it’s the blast burst into a confined area, being affected 13 of the 60 silos close.
IN investigations are currently underway and further updates will be provided once the authorized teams have completed their review.
Aygun specified that the explosion did not cause a major fireassuming that the incident was caused by gas compression in the grain due to extremely high air temperatures.
In response to the incident, the city’s fire department responded promptly to provide first aid to the victims. All the injured were promptly transported to nearby hospitals by ambulance.
Security cameras at the scene captured the moment of the explosion, showing smoke billowing the sky. As a result, security measures were put in place in certain parts of the port area to ensure public safety.
2023-08-07 15:45:00
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