Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Railway crash in Turkey
Rescuers work around a high-speed train that crashed into a pedestrian overpass after colliding head-on with a railway engine Thursday morning in Ankara, Turkey, killing nine people and injuring dozens. Authorities detained three state railway employees over suspected negligence and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised a thorough investigation.
ANKARA, Turkey — A high-speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass Thursday at a station in the Turkish capital, Ankara, killing nine people and injuring dozens, officials said.
The 6:30 a.m. train from Ankara to the central Turkish city of Konya collided head-on with the engine, which was checking the tracks at the capital’s small Marsandiz station, Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan told reporters after inspecting the site. The high-speed train, which the state-run Anadolu Agency said was carrying 206 passengers, usually passes through that station without stopping.
At least two cars derailed, hitting the station’s overpass, which then collapsed onto the train. Three engine drivers and six passengers were killed in the crash, Turhan said. One passenger died after being hospitalized while the others died at the scene.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 84 other people had sought medical help after the crash.
It wasn’t immediately clear if a signaling problem caused the crash. Authorities detained three state railway employees over suspected negligence and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed a thorough investigation.