( dpa ) - At least 11 people were killed and 40 injured in an explosion at a workplace in Istanbul on Thursday, the NTV television station reported.
The explosion in an industrial zone in the suburb of Davutpasa destroyed the three-storey building and firefighters were working to rescue around 15 people trapped under the wreckage.
Television footage showed the main building had partially collapsed and debris strewn over a large area. A number of cars parked nearby were destroyed and other buildings in the street were also badly damaged.
Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler refused to speculate as to the cause of the blast but ruled out terrorism. The explosion occurred in the boiler room of the building suggesting that a faulty water heater was at fault.
Fearing another explosion police evacuated the entire area near the site.