32 dead and more than 4,800 injured: that is the death toll in road accidents during the road journeys on the eve and the first three days of the Feast of Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha), one of the most important in Turkey’s religious calendar, according to the latest data released by the Minister of Interior, Ali Yerlikaya.
Turkish media reported that a total of 2,960 traffic accidents occurred between Thursday 5 June and Sunday 8 June, in which according to data provided by the Interior Ministry there were 32 deaths and 4,817 injuries, coinciding with the massive displacement of millions of people to spend the holidays with their families or travel to destinations for tourism. During these dates, 1,912,720 vehicles were inspected by the traffic police and the gendarmerie.
Despite appeals by the authorities and the minister himself to drivers to respect the rules and to moderate their speed, and despite increased controls and safety measures on the roads, the number of accident victims during the Feast of the Sacrifice was once again tragic, and far too high.
On the third day of the holiday alone, 8 June, there were a total of 722 accidents on Turkish roads, in which, according to Yerlikaya, six people were killed and 1,227 injured. It should also be noted that the figure of 32 deaths and 4,817 injuries does not include the victims of the last day of holidays, 9 June, when the number of journeys was higher as millions of people travelled by road to return to their places of residence.
In fact, images of congested roads and motorways were common on 9 June, with kilometres-long traffic jams forming on access to major cities, in some cases taking drivers up to 30 minutes to travel just 2 kilometres. Airports were also operating at full capacity due to the increase in passenger traffic, as many resorted to travel by plane to return home.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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