Eleven people were killed in a blast at an explosives and ammunition factory in the village of Kavakli in the Karesi district of Balikesir province in northwest Turkey on Tuesday, according to the country’s interior minister Ali Yerlikaya, who said that an investigation had been launched.
Local authorities ruled out the possibility of sabotage, CNN affiliate CNN Turk reported.
Seven others were injured in the explosion, which also caused a building to collapse.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on X that he was “deeply saddened” by the news.
“I pray to God to have mercy on my deceased brothers, (to) offer my condolences to their families, and wish a speedy recovery to our injured,” Erdogan added. “My condolences to Balikesir and our nation.”
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on X that a committee of experts, including chemical, mechanical, occupational safety and geophysical engineers, had been assigned to determine the cause of the explosion.
Authorities are working to confirm how many people were inside the building at the time, CNN Turk reported.
The interior ministry, who had initially reported that 12 people had died, revised the death count to 11 later Tuesday, saying the first report was announced mistakenly.
This story has been updated.
CNN’s Kathy Rose O’Brien contributed reporting.
