Report reveals 6 major faults behind Manisa mayor’s deadly electric shock

ANKARA

An expert report has identified six major faults in an electrocution incident that killed Manisa Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced on June 11.

The 48-year-old mayor was electrocuted on June 6 while inspecting an issue with the electrical installation of the swimming pool at his home in the western province.

Despite receiving intensive care for three days, he succumbed to his injuries on June 9.

Twelve individuals so far have testified to authorities as part of the ongoing investigation, with two people detained, Tunç said on a X post.

The technical report, prepared by recently appointed electrical engineers, revealed a series of grave oversights.

It found that the pump motor of the pool was malfunctioning and a residual current device, which is legally required to be installed at the building’s main entrance, was entirely missing, the report said as quoted by the minister.

Corrosion caused extensive rusting on all metal components and the residual current device located in the pool’s energy room was also severely corroded and inoperative.

Water and moisture were detected in the cables and connection points, while the distance between the pool and the energy room was found to be in violation of international safety standards, the report said.

An earlier report leaked to the press indicated that Zeyrek may have been exposed to electric current for three to five minutes. It also noted the presence of a leakage current of 67 watts in the machine room.

The passing of the mayor from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has sent to shockwaves and sorrow both within his party and across the country.

“I have lost a friend, half of my mind and half of my heart. There is a fire inside me I do not know how to extinguish,” CHP leader Özgür Özel said following the death of Zeyrek, who had been serving as mayor in Özel’s hometown.

Thousands attended Zeyrek’s funeral on June 10, as messages of condolence poured in from across the political spectrum.