UPDATE 2 - Blast martyrs 3 soldiers in Turkey's northwest

REVISED DECK; UPDATED WITH MORE REMARKS BY INTERIOR MINISTER

By Sahin Oktay, Ugur Subasi and Emre Ayvaz

SAKARYA, Turkey (AA) - At least three soldiers were martyred and eight injured in northwestern Turkey on Thursday when a number of explosives were being readied for disposal, emergency officials said.

The explosives were left over from an accident last week at a fireworks factory in Sakarya which left seven people dead and 117 injured.

"The explosives that remained after the explosion were being transferred to a safe area for disposal. The blast occurred when the explosives were being unloaded from a truck," said Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

Following last week’s accident, authorities ordered controlled detonation of the remaining explosives in a stone pit in Taskisigi in Sakarya's Adapazari district.

Rescue workers reached the site of today’s blast, in a mountainous area, and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu also went to be briefed on the initial investigation.

Soylu said that 15 tons of explosives had been neutralized in the aftermath of the factory incident.

“This regrettable incident that upset all of us and hurt deeply occurred when the last 1-1.5 tons of explosives were ready for disposal,” he added.

Investigations will uncover the cause of the blast, Soylu said.

He added that 11 injured gendarmes and a truck driver now in critical condition are being treated in hospitals.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut and Sena Guler