Blast at Turkish explosives factory kills 11, injures 7

Cihan Başakçıoğlu / Gazete Duvar 

A Dec. 24 explosion and collapse at the ZSR explosives factory in western Turkey’s Balıkesir province killed 11 workers and injured seven others, officials reported.

The explosion occurred at 8:25 a.m. in the capsule production section of the factory located in the rural Kavaklı neighborhood for reasons yet unknown.

Following the incident, numerous emergency medical and fire department teams were dispatched to the site. Due to the severity of the injuries, the bodies of the deceased workers could not be identified. Their remains were sent to Bursa Forensic Medicine Institute for DNA analysis to confirm their identities.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya updated that the death toll from the explosion was 11, not 12, as initially reported. 

Yerlikaya stated, "Unfortunately, 11 of our brothers and sisters working on the production line lost their lives—eight women and three men. Initially, the death toll was reported as 12 due to the condition of the victims' bodies after the explosion, but it is now confirmed to be 11."

Later in the day, Balıkesir Governor İsmail Ustaoğlu said that the collapse was limited to the capsule production unit, while other buildings in the facility only sustained minor damages, such as broken windows. He remarked, “The impact did not spread over a wide area; only the building collapsed.”

Providing further updates, Ustaoğlu stated that authorities believed no one else was inside. “The explosion resulted from technical causes, and there is no evidence of sabotage,” he added.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç noted that the Balıkesir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had launched an investigation into the explosion. 
Zafer Topaloğlu, a board member of ZSR company, has previously faced fatal workplace accidents in the past. Reports suggested that workers in these companies were not allowed to unionize, and occupational safety measures were inadequate.

On June 4, 2014, an explosion occurred at the same facility, owned by Yavaşçalar A.Ş. at the time. The blast happened during the morning while compressing cartridges, and injured six workers. 

The company’s chairman, İsmail Yavaşça, was arrested following the 2016 coup attempt, and the state’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) seized control of the company.

According to the Turkish Trade Registry Gazette, ZSR Explosives is owned by Zirve Holding and Senta Mining. One of the owners is Ömer Faruk Kalyoncu, head of Zirve Holding, and another partner, Senta Mining, belongs to Zafer Topaloğlu.

Both Kalyoncu and Topaloğlu are known for their close ties to government officials and for securing large public contracts. Kalyon Holding has undertaken major projects, and Topaloğlu serves on the board of the Defense and Aerospace Industry Exporters' Association (SSI).

Speaking to Gazete Duvar, Bedri Arık of the Balıkesir Environment Platform and the Green Left Party noted that at least 5–6 workers die daily in incidents labeled as workplace accidents in Turkey.

"These are the results of unsafe working conditions and employers’ greed. We believe this facility lacked proper inspections. The company grew under individuals close to the government. Negligence must be investigated, and those responsible should face justice,” he said.

Topaloğlu also owns Mates Mining in western Turkey’s Soma district, where a landslide at a lignite mine in 2023 killed one worker and injured five others.

Topaloğlu, known for his ties to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), hosted a wedding in 2020 attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and several ministers. His rise in the business world reportedly began during his tenure as the president of Esenler Erokspor, a football team Erdoğan once played for.

ZSR is listed by Turkey’s Defense Industries Presidency and produces NATO-standard ammunition. The company supplies the Turkish police and gendarmerie general command and exports to countries across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

ZSR also manufactures non-lethal projectiles, including rubber and plastic bullets, known as "rubber munitions" or "traumatic ammunition," for defense and deterrence purposes. Although banned for sale in Turkey, the company exports these projectiles abroad, where they have been used in social unrest and drawn criticism for their injurious and lethal effects.

Additionally, ZSR produces explosives for “blasting mining” activities, a controversial practice in Turkey, particularly in the Balıkesir province. Its “Balex Gold” dynamite is used in various applications, including underground and open-pit mining, tunneling, construction projects, and other specialized blasting operations.

(English version by Ayşenaz Toptaş)