Saturday’s tragedies occurred just 250 kilometers (155 miles) away in southern Turkey. The first occurred on the highway between Gaziantep and Nizip when a passenger bus collided with emergency teams who had responded to an accident in Mardin province, west of Derik. Three firefighters, two paramedics and two journalists were among the 15 people killed, according to Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu, eight of the victims were from the bus, he said. Ilhas News Agency reported that two of its reporters were killed after they pulled over to offer aid to people involved in the initial accident, in which a car veered off the highway and slid down an embankment. Television footage showed an ambulance with severe rear-end damage and the bus flipped onto its side along the highway. Gaziantep Governor Davut Gul said 22 people were injured in the secondary conflict. The other incident occurred late Saturday afternoon in Derik after an articulated lorry’s brakes failed, causing it to crash into two other vehicles near a gas station. As first responders worked at the scene and crowds gathered to watch, another truck lost control and plowed into them. Speaking from the scene, Soilou said 20 people were killed and 26 injured. A police officer was among the victims and two drivers were arrested as an investigation began, he said. Turkey has a poor road safety record. Some 5,362 people died in road accidents last year, according to the government.
