A total of eleven vehicles were involved in an early morning multi-vehicle collision in Erzurum, in eastern Turkey, caused by a combination of low visibility and slippery asphalt due to fog and snow. At least 20 people were injured as a result of the crash and had to be taken to hospitals in the area.
The accident occurred near the Kandilli junction on the road between Erzurum and Erzincan. In the midst of heavy snowfall, which also left the road slippery due to the presence of ice and with poor visibility due to dense fog, a truck travelling in the direction of Erzurum skidded on the asphalt and the driver lost control, causing the cab to overturn. At that moment, a bus full of passengers travelling in the same direction could not stop in time, and ended up ramming the overturned cab of the truck.
According to the Turkish news agency DHA, a total of eleven vehicles were involved in the pile-up. After the emergency services were alerted, several teams including members of the gendarmerie as well as Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) staff, fire brigades and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. The accident forced the road to be closed to traffic in both directions.
On arrival at the scene of the collision, medical personnel provided first aid to the injured, who were rescued from their vehicles. The fire brigade worked in coordination with other teams to free the bus driver, who had been trapped inside the bus, and who was finally freed after intensive work and evacuated by ambulance to a hospital.
A total of 20 people injured in the multiple collision were taken to the Erzurum public hospital and the Atatürk University Hospital, where, according to local media reports, they are still receiving treatment. Afterwards, work began to remove the damaged vehicles blocking the road in order to reopen it to traffic. Turkish authorities have opened an investigation to clarify the causes of the accident, although it seems that the main cause was adverse weather conditions.
7 injured in another multiple accident on the road to Ankara
On the other hand, the same news agency reported another accident that occurred hours earlier, around midnight, on the Anatolia Highway at the height of Arifiye district, in Sakarya, northwest of Türkiye. In this case 17 vehicles were involved in the accident, including a bus with passengers, a lorry, a minibus and several vans and cars travelling in the direction of Ankara.
A total of 7 people were injured in the multiple collision and were taken to local hospitals for treatment. The section of the motorway in the direction of Ankara had to be closed to traffic due to the incident, forcing the police to direct traffic towards the Turkish capital by alternative routes.
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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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