A gas explosion at a restaurant in western Turkey has killed five people and injured more than 50 others, Agence France-Presse reported, citing Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Sunday.
Bugün İzmir Torbalı’daki Fevzi Çakmak mahallesinde bulunan bir Lokantada ilk belirlemelere göre sanayi tüpünden kaynaklandığı değerlendirilen bir patlama meydana gelmiştir.
Olay bölgesine; İzmir İl AFAD'dan 2 araç 9 personel, İl Sağlık Müdürlüğünden 8 ambulans 2 UMKE ekibi ve… pic.twitter.com/h8hULpbriy
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) June 30, 2024
The minister said on X that 57 people had been injured by the explosion, caused by a gas canister.
The blast, which occurred in the town of Torbalı south of İzmir, was so powerful that it was heard for miles around, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Images broadcast on TV showed the facade of several buildings partly destroyed by the explosion and the windows of cars blown out.
Later on Sunday, Turkish authorities said one person was detained over the incident. The man allegedly replaced the propane tank with a new one at the site on Saturday.