Scores injured, several dead at fireworks factory blast in Turkey's Sakarya

A large explosion has rocked a fireworks factory in Turkey's northeastern Sakarya province.

The death toll from the fireworks factory blasts in Sakarya rose to four, the country's health minister said on Friday.

"A total of 97 patients were admitted to five hospitals," Fahrettin Koca said, adding that 16 of them were discharged, while a 31-year-old patient was seriously wounded.

He stressed that a total of 84 ambulances, two air ambulances, 18 medical rescue teams, and emergency aid personnel along with the disaster and emergency teams were dispatched to the scene in Sakarya province.

Some of those injured are reported to be in critical condition.

Turkey's Interior Minister Suleman Soylu, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca and Family, Labour and Social Services Minister Zehra Selcuk reached Sakarya soon after to monitor the situation on the ground.

Koca also said that people living in the area might be affected by fireworks gases, especially in the first 12 hours after the incident.

He asked locals to wear masks and to not leave their homes.

He also noted that the factory has some 186 employees, 20 of whom were not working on Friday, and another 15 to 20 people left work earlier in the morning.

Referring to the incident, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier said, "All kinds of measures are being taken as of now."

Erdogan said he hoped to hear better news from the scene and that people returned to their families in a healthy condition.

The cause of the blast wasn't immediately known.

Earlier, TV footage showed a large, mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke rising from the factory.

HaberTurk television said authorities blocked roads leading to the factory. Families rushed to the site for news of their loved ones.