Three workers die in construction accident at viaduct connecting to Istanbul’s third bridge

ISTANBUL

The accident took place on the portion of the highway located on the Asian side of the city. DHA Photo

Three workers were killed and another injured late April 5 while working on a viaduct as part of a highway that will connect to Istanbul’s controversial third bridge.

The three workers fell from a height of 50 meters when part of the concrete on the viaduct, located on the Asian side of the city, collapsed during construction.

Eleven other workers who were stuck on the viaduct after the collapse were rescued by a crane.

Two of the victims, Yaşar Bulut, 50, and Lütfü Bulut, 48, as well as one of the injured, Sonay Bulut, 42, were brothers. The other victim, Kahraman Baltaoğlu, had only been working on the construction site for two days, the company said.

The accident is yet another example of the dramatic lack of protection for workers and Turkey’s failure to comply with labor regulations. It is the first deadly accident on the Istanbul’s third bridge project, which has been touted by the government as a major showcase of the country’s economic status.

The construction of Istanbul’s third bridge is continuing despite controversy, after a ruling for a stay of execution due to an unsatisfying environmental impact assessment report (ÇED) was recently overturned.

The new highway will also connect to the third airport, which will be built on the city’s European side at the expense of a huge forested area.

The name of the bridge, Yavuz Sultan Selim, has also attracted the opprobrium of Alevis, as the 16th-century Ottoman sultan was known to be a mass murderer of their forbears.