Massive explosion jolts Turkey's commercial port of Derince, 10 seriously injured

At least 10 people were injured after a massive blast hit ripped through a port city in Western Turkey on Monday. According to Sputnik, the explosion occurred near the Turkish port of Derince at 2:40 am (local time). Confirming the fatalities, Kocaeli Governor Seddar Yavuz stated that the blast hit an elevator while a vessel carrying grain was getting loaded. The governor stated that the incident could be the result of an explosion of grain dust while loading a grain ship. 

🚨🇹🇷 Breaking: Injuries reported in a suspicious explosion targeting Turkish grain depot at Derince port in Istanbul, #Turkey.
🇷🇺Russia is the main suspect! pic.twitter.com/Qctw9Q6r91

— Terror Alarm (@Terror_Alarm) August 7, 2023

"We have 10 injured. They are in serious condition," Yavuz told local reporters following the blast, Sputnik reported.

Smoke clouds after the explosion were seen from various parts of the city, media reported. Moreover, firefighters and ambulance services, as well as anti-terrorist detachments, rushed to the site to carry out rescue operations.

Port’s operation not disrupted

Earlier today, a source told the Russian news outlet that the explosion had hit near a major Turkish port. However, the blast did not disrupt the port’s operation. "The explosion occurred near the port, nothing happened here ... no fire. The situation in the port is normal," the source told.

Mayor Zeki Aygun later informed that the explosion damaged elevators, not containers, with recue teams checking if there are people under the rubble. "It was a powerful explosion ... however, only two elevators were damaged, the container part of the port was not affected by the explosion, there was minor damage in neighboring houses," Aygun said.

Meanwhile, Kocaeli Municipality Mayor Tahir Buyukakin stated that the blast damaged 13 out of 16 elevators.