Massive explosion and fire hit largest oil refinery in Türkiye

In the city of Izmit, an explosion occurred at an oil refinery in a gasoline storage tank, followed by a fire. The explosion was heard on Thursday evening at the Tüpraş Izmit Rafinerisi plant, one of the key enterprises in Türkiye's energy sector. The flames spread over a significant part of the facility, causing a large-scale fire and panic among staff.

All employees of the complex were evacuated due to fears of further explosions, while firefighters and emergency services worked to extinguish the fire. As of late Thursday evening, the blaze had not yet been fully contained.

The cause of the explosion has not yet been officially established, and there have been no reports of injuries or fatalities. Turkish law enforcement agencies and emergency services have so far provided no comments regarding possible casualties or the extent of the damage.

The Izmit refinery processes imported crude oil and has significant capacity: according to the company, it can store more than 3 million tons of oil and employs nearly 2,000 people.

The incident has become one of the most serious accidents at energy facilities in Türkiye in recent times and has drawn the attention of security services and investors due to possible consequences for the region's energy infrastructure.

Earlier, a drone attacked the oil tanker Elbus off the coast of Türkiye. The vessel was heading to the Russian port of Novorossiysk to load oil.

As is known, oil refineries in Russia are regularly targeted by drone attacks, after which explosions and fires occur. For example, drones recently attacked Sloviansk-na-Kubani, resulting in a fire at an oil refinery and an attack on another facility.