No weapons or military equipment were found at the site of the explosion in the western Turkish port of Derince. The August 7 blast that rocked the grain silos located near the port was most likely caused by wheat dust compression, according to local officials and experts. The incident is currently under investigation.
In their reporting about explosions at grain silos at the Turkish port of Derince, Russian media suggested that the real cause of the explosions were weapons that were being stored at the port before being transferred to Ukraine.
“Perhaps there was not only grain, but also deadly “toys” for the Ukrainian Armed Forces?” a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel writes.
Derince is one of Turkey’s major commercial ports. The blast occurred in the area where ships are loaded with grain from elevators owned by the Turkish Grain Board (TMO).
“The explosion injured 12 people, two of them are in serious condition. The blast damaged 13 elevators out of 16,” Kocaeli Mayor Tahir Büyükakın said.
On August 9, Turkey’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı confirmed that the blast was most likely caused by natural phenomena: “At the moment, we think the explosion was caused by the effects of dust compression. Of course, it is our duty to ensure that the explosion is investigated from every possible aspect. The prosecutor’s office and other departments are conducting the necessary investigations. Once everything is completed, we will share the results with the public.”
Turkish chemical engineer Emre Ergün, told the Turkish daily Hurriyet newspaper that the possible cause of the explosion was indeed dust: “Grain arrives on ships and is transported to elevators using mechanical carriers, being crushed in the process. Each organic substance is highly flammable, and when they become dust, they become explosive.”
“For an explosion to occur, the dust must circulate in an enclosed space – building, container or silo and must encounter an ignition source. A mechanical spark can ignite airborne volatile dust,” a local chemical engineer explained.
Similar explosions have occurred before – at a grain elevator in Westwego, Louisiana, USA, in 1977, and in 2008 at a sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia, USA. The cause of the explosion was a concentration of sugar dust.
It is worth noting that neither foreign nor Turkish media wrote anything about the presence of weapons or military equipment found at the site of the explosion. Only Russian media blamed the silo explosions on nonexisting weapons.
Earlier, StopFake debunked the fake that Greece allegedly opposes supplying Ukraine with weapons.
