The explosion at the Barutsan rocket and explosives factory owned by weaponry producer Mechanical and Chemical Industry Company (MKE) was the result of a "fuel jam" inside the vats, state news agency Anadolu said.

Turkish media images showed a large cloud of smoke coming from the factory.

The defence ministry said four people had been taken to hospital, adding that judicial and administrative probes had begun.

According to Dogan news agency, the worker killed was a 31-year-old man.