Huge explosion rocks port in Turkish city
A huge explosion has rocked a port in Turkey, some 100 miles from Istanbul, injuring at least nine people.
Footage shared online shows the moment of the blast at a grain storage facility in Kocaeli’s Derince district.
Thick plumes of black smoke can be seen billowing into the sky from miles away.
Derince mayor Zeki Aygün told local media that four people have been rushed to hospital after incident that happened just after 2.30pm local time, near the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) silos.
‘We heard an explosion noise and we saw the explosion hit TMO’s silos,’ he was quoted as saying.
Kocaeli Governor Seddar Yavuz later added that the number of those injured has risen to nine with one seriously.
In a statement to TRT Haber, he said the blast occurred due to ‘dust jamming’ in the TMO silos during the transfer of wheat from the ships.
Firefighters were quickly dispatched to the scene to try and extinguish the raging fire.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.