Blast martyrs 3 soldiers in Turkey's northwest

At least three soldiers were martyred and eight injured in northwestern Turkey on Thursday when a number of explosives were being readied for disposal, emergency officials said.

The explosives were left over from an accident last week at a fireworks factory in Sakarya which left seven people dead and 117 injured.

"The explosives that remained after the explosion were being transferred to a safe area for disposal. The blast occurred when the explosives were being unloaded from a truck," said Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

Following last week’s accident, authorities ordered controlled detonation of the remaining explosives in a stone pit in Taskisigi in Sakarya's Adapazari district.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu went to the site of today’s blast, in a mountainous area, to be briefed on the initial investigation.

Soylu said that 15 tons of explosives had been neutralized in the aftermath of the factory incident.

“This regrettable incident that upset and hurt us all deeply occurred when the last 1-1.5 tons of explosives were ready for disposal,” he added.

Investigations will uncover the cause of the blast and be shared with the public, Soylu said.

He added that 11 injured gendarmes and a truck driver now in critical condition are being treated in hospitals.

Soylu also stressed that the Sakarya Governorship is set to cancel the factory’s work permits.

If any negligence led to the explosion, necessary steps will be taken, he pledged.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut and Sena Guler