2023-05-07 10:30:02
ISTANBUL (AP) — At least 12 people were killed and 31 injured in a car crash in Turkey’s southern Hatay province, authorities say. Three of the wounded were in serious condition.
A truck crossed into the wrong lanes after the driver lost control of the vehicle on Saturday night and collided with two cars and two minibuses, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
Many of the vehicles were parked on the side of the road next to a gas station as friends and family waved off men leaving to do their mandatory military service.
The incident caused several fires on the highway between Alejandreta and Antioquia, according to the Minister of Health, Fahrettin Koca. Twenty-two ambulances and three rescue teams were dispatched to the scene in Topbogazli.
“May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives, I express my condolences to their families,” he tweeted. “We will do everything we can to ensure that the injured recover as soon as possible.”
Hatay was one of the hardest hit of 11 Turkish provinces hit by an earthquake on February 6 that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria. At least 50,783 people died in Türkiye, according to the government.
The private news agency Demiroren said the truck was carrying rubble removed from the quake and had collided with another truck before crossing on the highway at around 7:00 p.m. local time (1600 GMT).
Witness Ali Sarrac said some of the dead had been burned to death, according to Anadolu. Pictures from the scene showed vehicles on fire as emergency crews tried to pull people away from the fire.
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