Istanbul: An explosion at a port in northwest Turkiye on Monday injured at least 12 people, officials said.
The blast at a grain depot at the port of Derince on the northern shore of the Gulf of Izmit sent up plumes of thick smoke and dust.
An initial investigation showed the explosion was caused by “wheat dust compression during the transfer of wheat from a ship to the silo,” said Seddar Yavuz, governor of Kocaeli province.
The explosion at the Turkish Grain Board (TMO) site was still being investigated, he added.
Kocaeli Mayor Tahir Buyukakin said three of the injured were hospitalized in serious condition. All personnel had been accounted for.
The Transport Ministry said no ships were affected.
The Union Home Minister has alerted the states of the country in the wake of the Indo-Pak War. The Telangana government and police, which were immediately alerted, took preemptive measures. Security has been tightened in Hyderabad.
Thirty-two airports across northern and western parts of the country, including Srinagar and Amritsar, have been closed for civilian flight operations till May 15, according to the civil aviation regulator.
In view of the ongoing high alert across India and intensified security arrangements in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, the city police have issued a ban on bursting firecrackers or fireworks in public spaces, particularly near military cantonment areas.
India responded strongly to Pakistan’s repeated drone and missile attacks and hit at least eight military targets inside Pakistan on Friday night with precision, thereby causing significant damage, the Centre told the media, as part of a special briefing on ‘Operation Sindoor’.