Turkish rail officials imprisoned for 108 years after a train catastrophe claimed 25 lives

A court in Turkiye has given nine rail officials more than 108 years in prison for a crash that happened six years ago. The crash killed 25 people. This was reported by local media on Thursday.

In July 2018, a train in Turkey derailed near Corlu district, which is 110 kilometers west of Istanbul.

The train was going from Unlukopru, close to the Greek border, to Istanbul’s Halkali station, which is Turkey’s main train route to Europe. Seven kids died and over 300 people were hurt.

A report from an expert submitted to Corlu 1st High Criminal Court stated that heavy rain caused a rail embankment to collapse. The report also found that the railways operator was to blame for not preparing for bad weather. The ground next to a drain fell down, causing six train cars to tip over.

Pictures taken after the crash did not show any support under a part of the rail over the culvert.

Thirteen workers from Turkish Railways were accused of causing death and injury because they were not careful. Four of them were found not guilty.

The news agency Anadolu reported that the manager of Turkish Railways was sent to jail for 17 and a half years, which is the longest sentence. The deputy rail maintenance manager was given a sentence of eight years and four months.

The families of the people who were hurt in the crash want more people to be held responsible. They want the bosses of the train company and the officials from the Transportation Ministry to be charged too.

Misra Oz, whose nine-year-old son died in the crash, has been the most well-known person speaking out about the families’ complaints. Three years ago, she had to pay a fine of $1,250 for “insulting public officials” relating to the disaster.

Speaking to a large group of people before the hearing, Oz said that the people who are truly responsible for the decisions that caused negligence are not here today. He called for an end to the policy of letting people get away with no punishment. Please rephrase the following statement: “Can you please provide a plain explanation for this topic. ” “Could you simplify this topic for me please. ”

The families of the victims said that the case will not be over until important officials are put on trial.

Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the main opposition party in Turkiye, went to the trial with other politicians.

“Maybe we are noticing that government officials are finally being punished, and that the idea of getting away with doing wrong things is starting to change,” he said after the judgment.

In the last few years, Turkiye has been trying to update its train system by making faster train lines between cities. But most people still like to travel by air or road. In 2004, a very fast train crashed in Sakarya, a province in the northwest of the country, and 41 people died. 80 people were also injured in the accident.