ISTANBUL — 2008 · Major Tragedy

Davutpaşa Explosion

SolvedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

On 31 January 2008, an explosion ripped through an unlicensed workshop producing fireworks and flare materials on an upper floor of a five-storey building in the Davutpaşa area of Zeytinburnu, Istanbul. Twenty-one people were killed and 115 injured. The trial of the building's owners and municipal officials lasted 16 years. Prison sentences for the owners were upheld, but the Court of Cassation ruled that the negligence charges against municipal officials were time-barred, ending the case against them — an outcome criticised by families and lawyers.

Date: 2008
Place: Zeytinburnu, Istanbul
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Solved
Coordinates: 41.0200, 28.9100 ↗

Timeline of Events

31 January 2008An explosion at the Davutpaşa workshop killed 21.
14 July 2014The first trial concluded.

2022A retrial began after the verdict was overturned.
2024Charges against officials were time-barred; the owners' sentences became final.

Sources

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