The fatal accident near Gaziantep was the result of a previous traffic accident. A van had gone off the road and police, firefighters, hospital staff and local media reporters rushed to the scene of the accident. They stopped on the spot, where another bus rammed into stationary vehicles. The dead include three firefighters, two ambulance drivers and two reporters, the region’s governor said. The Turkish government has announced an investigation into the accident.
Truck crashes into crowd without braking, kills 16
In the Turkish town of Derik in the Mardin province, a truck whose brakes had failed, ran into a group of people on Saturday evening. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told TRT news channel that 16 people were killed in the accident. In addition, 29 were injured, eight of whom are in serious condition. Justice has ordered an investigation into the facts.
The truck, which was unable to slow down due to a technical malfunction, first rammed into two cars near a gas station, overturned and ended up between the crowd. In the chaos that ensued, another heavy vehicle hit several bystanders and rescuers.
Earlier in the day, a similar number of people were killed in a pile-up on a highway near Gaziantep. The victims included firefighters, paramedics and two journalists. They had come to reports of a serious traffic accident. Arriving at the spot where a car had run off the road, not much later a bus drove into, among others, the emergency services and their vehicles. 22 people were taken to a hospital with injuries.