Sakarya factory explosion: Chemical engineers chamber head calls for urgent evacuation

Photos: AA

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Chemical Engineers Chamber İstanbul Branch Chair Ali Uğurlu has spoken to bianet about this morning's (July 3) explosion at a fireworks factory in Hendek, Sakarya, where at least four people were killed.

CLICK - Explosion at firework factory in Sakarya province

Uğurlu said that the area should be evacuated because of the chemical gases released from the explosion.

"It is stated that 110,000 substances were stored in the factory. We don't know every single one but generally black powder-type combustible, inflammable, and igniting chemicals are used," he said. "Chemical gases are released from them and they are pretty harmful to health. For this reason, the area urgently needs to be temporarily evacuated."

Saying that the business working with hazardous chemicals are not being inspected and this kind of explosions happen often in the country, he noted.

Uğurlu said that the regulation for preventing large industrial accidents was prepared in 2012 but has not been implemented. As a result, the Ministry of Environment is authorized with the inspection of the factories but the ministry's Chamber of Chemicals only has eight or 10 people and doesn't have the structure to conduct such inspections, he added.

Companies enter information on a website of the ministry, defining themselves as "hazardous," "less hazardous" or "non-hazardous / out of scope," according to Uğurlu.

Companies mostly define themselves as "non-hazardous" to avoid inspections and measures, he said.

The number of businesses working with hazardous chemicals is 20,000 in the country while only six thousand have defined themselves as "hazardous," Uğurlu added.

"Unless regulation is implemented, these types of accidents are inevitable," Uğurlu said, adding that the implementation of the regulation would reduce the number of similar incidents to a minimum. (RT/VK)