Train and tanker collide in southern Turkey, one killed

HATAY

One person was killed and 15 injured after a passenger train collided with a tanker in the southern province of Hatay. AA Photo

A passenger train collided with a tanker, killing at least one person and injuring 15 others, in the Dörtyol district in the southern province of Hatay late on May 4, according to the Turkish state railways (TCDD).

The train, which was heading towards İskenderun from the Mediterranean city of Mersin, crashed into the tanker, which was carrying fuel from Iraq to Dörtyol, at a level crossing with light signals, Cihan News Agency reported.

The driver of the tanker, 47-year-old Ömer Üçgül, was killed, as the tanker exploded after the accident. Fifteen people injured on the train, including its machinist, Mehmet Doğan, have been taken to nearby hospitals.

The windows of nearby houses were also broken with the explosion of the tanker.

The TCDD and the local gendarmerie have opened an inquiry into the accident.

Witnesses said the train level crossing was not safe and many other accidents had occurred there. TCDD officials, however, said all necessary measures at the crossing were in place, including a light system warning, and claimed that the tanker driver must have failed to follow the instructions.

Other tanker drivers have suggested that Üçgül, the tanker driver involved in the accident, was not acquainted with the route.