Passenger injured in extraordinary Istanbul subway accident

ISTANBUL

A passenger was injured by an iron bar thrust into his body on an Istanbul subway train on Sept. 29.

The iron bar broke through the window of the metro carriage and thrust through the hip of the passenger, who was then photographed lying on the ground with the iron bar stuck into him. The photo has been widely shared on social media.

The accident occurred as the train was proceeding between the Seyrantepe and Sanayi stops.

The injured passenger has been identified as 33-year-old Fatih Çoban. He was rushed into surgery after being taken to the Okmeydanı Research and Training Hospital.

Other passengers were evacuated after the machinist halted the vehicle following the announcement of the accident and paramedics were rushed to the scene.

The exact cause of the incident remains unknown, though the iron bar is thought to have fallen from a nearby construction area.

Şeref Çoban, father of the wounded man, told reporters that he does not consider filing a complaint about the incident at the moment while also adding that the incident took place as a result of “God’s words.”

“They [the construction of the subway] are working for the public good here. They have opened the [stations in there while the construction still continues] for the good of public. They have opened the station before the road construction is completed. This is Allah’s words. Whatever written in the destiny will take place. If there is negligence they will be punished,” he added, while his son was being operated in an Istanbul hospital.