Second explosion in Ankara killed more people

Almaty. February 4. Kazakhstan Today - The second explosion in an industrial park in Ankara has killed more people, the agency reports.

Six people died and eight were thought to be trapped Thursday night when a second explosion hit an industrial park that had earlier been the scene of a fatal blast that killed six workers in Ankara, Hurriyet Daily News and Economic review reported.

According to daily Hurriyet's website, the second explosion resulted from a vehicle fire that spread to a nearby auto paint workshop, where six people were reported dead and eight others were trapped because of smoke and fire.

Hours earlier, on Thursday morning, a blast ripped through an industrial facility in the Turkish capital, collapsing two stories of the factory and killing at least six people and injuring around 26. There were still five workers lost in the debris late Thursday.

Rescuers continued to comb the debris for casualties throughout the day following the explosion, which was heard several kilometers away.

The explosion, which took place at Ankara's Middle East Organized Industrial Region, or OSTIM, at 11 a.m., ripped off the structure's glass-covered facade and shattered the windows of nearby buildings. Twisted metal and concrete slabs were strewn around the nearby area, and cars parked in front of the building were completely destroyed.

Fethi Yasar, mayor for the area, said around half of the factory's 80 workers had escaped the blast unharmed.

The Ankara Governor's Office has set up a crisis-management counter to respond to the explosion, Gov. Alaaddin Yuksel said, adding that four of the 28 people hospitalized were in critical condition. Two of those in critical condition died at the hospital Thursday evening.

Initial speculation about the incident included the possibility that compressed natural gas inside the four-story building had exploded.

Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek, however, told CNNTurk that the cause of the blast was most likely oxygen tanks at the factory.

Minister Atalay meanwhile told reporters on the scene that the cause of the explosion was still under investigation.

This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.