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* Photo: Barış Oral - Sakarya/AA
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After inspecting the scene of incident where an explosion claimed the lives of seven people and injured 126 others at the Büyük Coşkunlar Firework Factory in Hendek, Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu addressed the reporters at Sakarya Governor's Office yesterday (July 9).
As another blast took place earlier yesterday while the gendarmerie personnel were carrying the fireworks waste from the factory to a stone pit in Adapazarı, another district of Sakarya province, Minister Soylu has announced that both the work permit and the reconstruction permit of the factory will be first suspended, then revoked.
In a previous statement, Minister Soylu indicated that while three gendarmerie officers lost their lives in the blast and 12 others, including the driver of the truck carrying the fireworks waste, were wounded, he shared the following information about the latest situation:
"Now, we have six wounded people at the hospitals. One of them is our driver working for the Hendek Municipality and two gendarmerie personnel. They are also slightly wounded, but there are six people in total."
Regarding the ensuing investigations into the two blasts in a week, Minister said, "Both our Civil Inspection Board and Chief Public Prosecutor's Office are conducting their administrative and judicial investigations."
Permits of the firework factory
Süleyman Soylu also indicated that the current permits of the factory for reconstruction and producing and storing explosive and inflammatory substances were also discussed with Minister of Environment and Urbanization Murat Kurum and the Civil Inspection Board.
Following these discussions, President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was also informed about the plans to first suspend, then revoke the permits of the factory.
"He himself instructed that what was necessary should be done in the light of these evaluations," Minister Soylu indicated further and added, "Accordingly, our friends did the necessary work."
"First of all, in the light of the decision, recommendations and evaluation of the Inspection Board, the work permit of the factory here will first be suspended by our governor's office, then it will be revoked right after that.
"Secondly, our Minister of Environment and Urbanization immediately gave an order. Accordingly, in the light of this order, they will be revoking the reconstruction permit in an ex officio manner."
'No one can do this better than us'
Minister also referred to the reason why the explosive waste belonging to a private company was being carried by gendarmerie officers.
"The main issue here is to maintain public safety. Both the gendarmerie and our police are law enforcement forces. Their main duty is to maintain public order and safety," Soylu noted and briefly added:
"There is another perspective peculiar to this incident. The persons to be appointed to secure, transfer, carry and dispose of these explosives are experts defined within the frame of principles, rules, bylaws and laws. And it falls on our law enforcement officers.
"There is no one that can do this better than us in terms of public safety and the precision of the work. Both our police and gendarmerie forces have their own units specialized in removing all types of bombs and explosives, taking the necessary precautions and preventing such incidents both inside and outside our borders. They are competent in that regard.
"So, on such an occasion, gendarmerie and our police are ones who need to take the first precautions regardless of the place, incident or sector. As this area is within the jurisdiction of the gendarmerie, the gendarmerie are taking the precautions."
What happened?
An explosion occurred at a firework factory in the district of Hendek in Turkey's western province of Sakarya at around 11.15 a.m. on July 3.
The blast was reportedly so powerful that it was heard from several parts of Düzce despite the factory being located 50 kilometers to the city center.
The explosion that took place at Büyük Coşkunlar Firework Factory claimed the lives of seven people and injured 126 others.
Almost a week later, on July 9, an explosion claimed the lives of three soldiers and injured 12 others, including a truck driver, while they were carrying the fireworks waste from the factory.
Addressing the reporters in Sakarya, Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu said that the teams preferred to ensure the explosion of the fireworks waste in another place because there was a forest near the scene of incident.
According to the statement of the Minister, after the explosion took place at the factory, 15 tons of fireworks waste has so far been exploded in a controlled manner. "While there has remained 1.5 tons of waste to be exploded, this incident has made us all sad," Soylu added.
He announced that "the cause of the explosion would be understood after the ensuing investigation into the incident was concluded." (EKN/SD)