A powerful explosion occurred yesterday in a pasta factory located in the Hendek district of Sakarya, northwestern Turkey, killing one worker and injuring 30 people, including firefighters.
The blast, originating from an area adjacent to the silos, triggered a fire that engulfed the facility. The fire has been put down while cooling efforts are still underway.
The deceased worker was later identified as 27-year-old Mesut Şimay. His body was recovered during cooling operations today.
Five of the injured have been discharged from the hospital while two are intubated after suffering wounds in their respiratory system, according to Deputy Health Minister Halim Özçevik. Also, one injured person was transferred to İstanbul due to their critical condition and hospital capacity concerns. They will likely undergo surgery as their condition is critical.
A 12-year-old child, who had come to the factory with their father, was also among the injured, said the Sakarya Governor Çetin Oktay Kaldırım.
"There is still heat within the silo, posing a risk. Cooling efforts are ongoing. Until the temperature is lowered, there is still a risk,” he informed. “These measures will remain in place until the cooling efforts reduce the heat to a safe level."
While the cause of the explosion is yet to be determined, its location, the silos, suggests a potential dust explosion, a common hazard in the agricultural industry. Dust explosions occur when tiny particles of grain dust in the air ignite, causing a sudden and powerful blast.
Last August, a dust explosion in Turkish Grain Board silos in Hendek killed two workers.
The company
The factory belongs to Oba Makarna, a household pasta brand in Turkey. In an announcement to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) today, the company claimed that it had fulfilled all required job safety measures and expects no serious disruption in production following the explosion.
Oba Makarna commands a significant share of the pasta market in Turkey, producing 25% of the country's pasta and holding an 18% market share. Also, it exports products to over 100 countries and plays a substantial role in the global pasta trade with a 7.4% share.
Ownership of Oba Makarna is divided among several entities. Alpinvest, a Turkish company, holds a 56.94% stake, while Turkey Pasta Holding Ltd., owned by Bahraini banks Sayacorp and Venture Capital Bank, holds 22.97%. In February 2024, 20.09% of the company was offered to the public.
In early 2024, the company expanded its production capacity by installing two new lines in its Hendek factory, increasing its pasta production capacity from 506,000 to 585,000 tons. As of September 2023, Oba Makarna employed a workforce of 1,262 individuals.
Occupational safety is ‘only on paper’
The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) released a statement regarding the incident, accusing the Labor and Social Services Ministry for failing to perform adequate inspections and to protect workers’ lives.
“If they actually conduct these inspections, they will see that everything in the field of occupational health and safety, which has been left to joint health and safety units, is merely for show,” said the association. “They will realize that safety professionals, who are forced to work under insecure conditions and low wages, lack the professional independence necessary to effectively monitor employers.
“Risk assessments are only done on paper, and, except for very rare cases, workers are often forced to work without access to proper occupational health and safety services.”
According to the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG), a group monitoring work-related deaths, at least 1,201 workers were killed on the job across Turkey in the first eight months of this year. (VK)