Terrifying moments during the explosion at the Balıkesir ammunition factory: Windows shook, fireballs rose

According to initial reports, 12 people lost their lives in an explosion at an ammunition factory in Balıkesir.

The scale of the explosion at the factory, which produces explosives in the Karesi district, horrified those who witnessed it.

"WINDOWS SHOOK, A FIREBALL CAME"

The former headman of Kavaklı Village, located 800 meters from the factory, described the details of the moment of the explosion.

Stating that they were shaken by a very violent explosion, the former headman said, "There was an explosion. First the windows shook, then a fireball came. A section of the factory was destroyed. There are 20 people working on the shift. There were 300 people in the factory in total. It coincided exactly with the shift change time. There were also people from the village working there," he said.

"WE JUMPED FROM OUR SEATS, THERE WAS A VERY LARGE TREMOR"

Baki Eser, the headman of Köteyli Neighborhood, one of the villages close to where the factory explosion occurred, stated the following in his statement to CNN TÜRK: "The place inside the factory where gunpowder capsules are made exploded. There were many workers. A friend of ours from Kavaklı Village came and described it as follows: We were having breakfast, we jumped from our seats, there was a very large tremor. Nearly 1,000 people work there.

Every ambulance and fire truck in Balıkesir was dispatched there. Ambulances are waiting in front of the factory. Hospitals are on alert. Everyone is on duty," he said.

"THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED IN THE AREA WHERE WEAPON AMMUNITION IS KEPT"

Evaluating the cause and nature of the explosion, Explosives Engineering Association President Prof. Dr. Ali Kahriman stated the following:

"The location is important, where this explosion took place. We are in communication. I hope we do not encounter more detailed, high-fatality cases and that it does not grow further.

According to the initial information I received, the explosion occurred mostly in the area where weapon ammunition is kept. If it was in the section where raw materials are kept, the explosive properties of the raw materials there are very high.

It could be even more violent than dynamite, but these products are placed in gram-level quantities, so there wouldn't be much, but if it happened in the area we call the warehouse, there could be a higher-magnitude explosion."