12 injured in grain silos blast in Turkish port

Duvar English

At least 12 people have been injured, three of them seriously, in a blast in the northwestern Kocaeli’s Derince district.  

The incident took place at around 2.40 p.m. in the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) silos in Derince Port.

Derince Mayor Zeki Aygün told state-run Anadolu Agency that they thought an earthquake was happening during the blast. “An explosion occurred due to probably compression. I hope no one died.”

Kocaeli Governor Seddar Yavuz said the explosion occurred due to wheat dust compression during the transfer of wheat from a ship to the silo according to initial evaluations. “We directed all the search and rescue teams. I would also like to point out that no one was under the debris,” he added.

In a statement, the TMO said they consider that the dust compression caused the blast, but the exact reason will be clarified as a result of detailed technical examination. The board added that 13 silos and outbuildings took damage due to the blast.

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said one person was rescued from under the rubble. 

The Transport and Infrastructure Ministry said “there is no problem on the ships in the port.”

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