PM Kobakhidze offers condolences to Türkiye after deadly Izmir factory explosion

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has expressed his condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish people following a deadly explosion at a steel plant in the western Turkish city of Izmir, which killed 16 people and injured 13 others.

In a message posted on social media platform X, Kobakhidze said his thoughts were with the families and relatives of those killed and wished the injured a speedy and full recovery.

The explosion occurred on 9 November at the HABAS iron and steel plant in the Aliağa district of Izmir province.

According to local authorities, the incident happened during work to replace industrial equipment. An overhead crane collapsed, damaging a natural gas pipeline and triggering an explosion and subsequent fire.

Around 200 people were at the facility at the time of the incident.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said judicial and administrative investigations had been launched to establish the cause of the explosion and determine whether negligence had contributed to the disaster.