Blast rocks Istanbul shipyard – authorities

The incident was caused by gas compression in the waste storage area of a ship, officials have said

An explosion has rocked a shipyard in the Turkish city of Istanbul, leaving one person dead and another injured, local authorities have said.

In a statement on Monday, the Istanbul Governor’s Office said the blast had occurred at a shipbuilding facility in Tuzla, a municipality in the Asian part of the city, at around 10:30am local time. It added that the incident had been caused by gas compression in the waste storage section of a ship while work was being carried out.

Officials said the injured worker was receiving treatment, and that police have launched an investigation.

Tuzla is home to Türkiye’s largest shipyards, which offer a full range of vessel repairs, conversion, and dry-docking services.

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The incident comes just days after a powerful explosion damaged several grain silos in the Turkish port of Derince, near Istanbul. The blast initially killed one person and injured 12 others, although on Monday a female worker succumbed to her injuries in hospital, taking the death toll to two.