The 3rd hearing of the case in which 5 defendants, 1 of whom was arrested, was tried regarding the accident caused by 2 trucks 33 minutes apart in Mardin’s Derik district last year, in which 1 police officer was martyred and 20 people lost their lives. The court rejected the release request of detained truck driver Yunus Şataflı and postponed the hearing to a later date.
Release:
The accident occurred on August 20, 2022, near a fuel station in Bahçelievler District. The truck with plate number 73 SN 384, carrying fertilizer under the management of Yunus Şataflı, hit 2 vehicles and pedestrians and overturned.
In the accident, Şervan (6) and Mihriban Tanrısever (11), İbrahim Halil Has (80) and İnan Berk (35), who bought chocolate from the market and returned home, lost their lives. Upon notice, police, gendarmerie, fire brigade and medical teams were dispatched to the scene of the accident. The surrounding people also gathered in the area and started to watch the teams work.
33 minutes after this accident, the truck with plate number 34 NMB 53, driven by Umut Gündüz, which was also loaded with fertilizer, crashed into the crowd at the scene of the accident. While people in the crowd were running left and right, the truck crushed many people and crashed into an apartment building. In this accident, police officer Yahya Ergin (33), among those who intervened in the incident, was martyred, Bessi Bağlayan (57), İrfan Aktaş (45), Mülkiye Acar (56), Ünal Ekinci (24), Baran Açan (28), Hamit Akkoyun ( 82), Ahmet Aktay (30), Sıtti Abul (84), Fesih Dağ (61), Velat Dağ (45), Kemal Dağ (60), Hatip Denk (66), Necla Arda (27), İsa Ayebe (42) , Baver Babur (17), Nofa Çelik (84) lost their lives. Major damage occurred to 11 vehicles and 3 workplaces in the accidents.
Truck drivers Umut Gündüz and Yunus Şataflı, who were detained after the accident, were arrested. At the second hearing of the case held on June 21, Umut Gündüz, one of the detained drivers who caused the second accident, was released.
ARRESTED TRUCK DRIVER ASKED FOR HIS RELEASE, COURT REJECTED
Arrested truck driver Yunus Şataflı attended the third hearing of the case heard today at Mardin 1st High Criminal Court, via Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) from his prison. Truck driver Umut Gündüz, who was tried without arrest, and company officials KG, MA and KMG did not attend the hearing. Those injured in the accident and the relatives of those who died were also present at the hearing.
Truck driver Yunus Şataflı, who spoke at the hearing, requested his release. Relatives of those who lost their lives in the accident also stated that they filed a complaint against the defendants. The complainant’s lawyers requested the continued detention of the detained defendant and the arrest of the unarrested defendant Umut Gündüz in case he escapes.
The court board decided to continue the detention of the defendant Yunus Şataflı and reject the request for the arrest of the defendant Umut Gündüz and postponed the hearing to Tuesday, December 5, 2023. (DHA)