At least 12 people have been injured when an explosion rocked grain silos near the port of Derince in western Turkey, according to state media.
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency said on Monday that three of 12 people injured were in serious condition.
An explosion occurred approximately at 2:40pm (11:40 GMT) near Turkish Grain Board (TMO) silos, Seddar Yavuz, the governor of Kocaeli where the port is located, said on Monday.
“Initial evaluations show that an explosion occurred due to wheat dust compression during the transfer of wheat from a ship to the silo,” he added.
“We were told that it is technically possible that a blast could occur due to compression of wheat dust, but we are investigating every possible reason,” Yavuz said.
Yavuz also said that health, search and rescue and fire brigade teams were quickly transferred to the region following the incident.
“We quickly rescued our friends from the scene and sent them to health institutions with ambulances as soon as possible,” the governor added.
Police said they had launched an investigation into the incident and videos on social media showed a huge cloud of smoke.
The TMO said that 13 silos and outbuildings were damaged in the incident.
“It is considered that the explosion may be due to dust compression and the cause will be clarified after detailed technical investigation,” the statement said.
The Ministry of Transportation said no ships were damaged due to the explosion.
