‘Amateur butchers’ flock to hospitals

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Thousands of people cut themselves while trying to slaughter sacrificial animals. DHA photo

Thousands of people cut themselves while trying to slaughter their sacrificial lambs yesterday as Turkey welcomed Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.

Although officials warned amateur butchers about possible injuries, the number of people who went to hospitals after cutting themselves accidently surpassed 3,000 as of noon on the first day of Eid al-Adha, Doğan news agency reported.

An amateur butcher who lost his finger while trying to slaughter his sacrificial lamb was taken to the hospital carrying his finger in his other hand in Kocaeli district, Anatolia news agency has reported.

Hospitals ready
The Ministry of Health had announced a series of measures to counter the rising numbers of injuries experienced during Eid al-Adha by amateur butchers.

The ministry requested that both public and private hospitals arrange the workload of their emergency services to raise the number of employees available to deal with the expected increase in accidents over the holiday period.

In addition, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s veterinary service put special units on duty to catch livestock escaping slaughter. A total of 10 units formed of three people each were actively working on call on both the European and Asian sides of the city.