Üsküdar acting mayor dies in Düzce traffic accident

DÜZCE

Three vehicles were involved in the chain-reaction collision where Dündar Ziya Gültekin, the interim mayor of Istanbul’s Üsküdar district, died.

Dündar Ziya Gültekin, the interim mayor of Istanbul’s Üsküdar district, died on Oct. 15 after being involved in a traffic accident in the northwestern province of Düzce that left four other people injured.

The car carrying Gültekin was traveling toward the capital Ankara on the Düzce section of the Anatolian Motorway when it became involved in a chain-reaction collision involving three vehicles, local media reported.

Gültekin was among those injured in the crash and taken to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries despite medical intervention.

Hasan Şengüloğlu, the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Düzce provincial chair, told reporters that medical teams had made every effort to save Gültekin from the moment of the accident.

“Unfortunately, we could not save him. Our condolences to us all,” Şengüloğlu said.

He added that Gültekin showed no apparent physical injuries or signs of trauma resulting from the collision, suggesting that he may have suffered a heart attack triggered by the shock of the accident.

“It is believed that he suffered a heart attack due to the shock of the incident. This will become clearer in the coming days,” Şengüloğlu said, adding that two doctors who witnessed the crash had stopped to provide first aid before continuing their efforts alongside ambulance crews and hospital staff.

“Medical intervention continued at the hospital. He was treated for approximately an hour and a half, but unfortunately, we could not save him,” he said.

AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik issued a message of condolence on social media.

“We are deeply saddened,” Çelik said, extending his condolences to Gültekin’s grieving family, loved ones and party organization.

Gültekin’s death comes just over a month after he was elected interim mayor of Üsküdar on Sept. 8, wresting control of the district municipality from the opposition.

The Üsküdar municipal council elected Gültekin, the AKP candidate, as interim mayor following the arrest of district Mayor Sinem Dedetaş on Aug. 31 over alleged corruption.

In the Sept. 8 vote, Gültekin, who was also backed by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), prevailed in the fourth round of voting, securing 23 votes against 19 for the candidate of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).