Death toll in traffic accidents across Turkey rises to 100 in 9th day of public holiday

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

The death toll from traffic accidents across Turkey rose to 100 on the 9th day of the extended 10-day long public holiday.

A total 439 people have been injured in road accidents during the same period. 

A total of 14 people were killed and 55 were injured in road accidents on Sept. 3 alone, bringing the death toll across Turkey from 86 to 100 in one day.

One of the deadly car accidents occurred in the northern province of Amasya on Sept. 3, when driver Basri Gedik and his family, returning from the nearby province of Tokat to Istanbul, toppled off the road. Five people, including driver, were killed in the accident. 

Another accident occurred on the Pamukçu area of the Balıkesir-İzmir Highway on the same day, when two vehicles collided with each other. Four people died after being rushed for treatment at the Atatürk State Hospital after the accident.

Many Turkish vacationers set out on their return journeys at the end of the holiday on Sept. 3, officially the third of Eid al-Adha.

A 20-kilometer long tailback formed on the highway from the northwestern province of Tekirdağ to Istanbul, near the entrance of Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous province. 

Accidents occurred due to the extensive traffic on the return path, with Police Department crews in Tekirdağ on duty to monitor and relieve the traffic.

Commenting on the intense traffic at the end of the holiday, Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Işık voiced hope that no more deadly accidents would occur.   

He also echoed the remarks of Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, who had said “there is no king of the road other than the rules.”   

A warning to vacationers had been released on Sept. 3 by the police headquarters in the northwestern province of Bolu, urging people to hit the road before the end of the holiday.  

Deputy Police Commissioner Aydın Aksoy said that during the holiday they were performing effective and intensive supervision to minimize driver-induced accidents and guarantee travel safely.

The Eid al-Adha holiday was extended to 10 days in Turkey this year, coinciding with Aug. 30 Victory Day.