The key facts

  • Nine dead and five injured in a road accident on the Van — Özalp highway on November 7
  • Initial reports from Turkish media spoke of seven dead; the death toll later rose
  • The governor of Van province named the rain-slicked road surface as the likely cause

What happened

On the evening of November 7, a truck and a passenger minibus collided on the Van — Özalp highway in eastern Turkey. This was reported by the Anadolu agency, citing local authorities; the accident is also covered by Life.ru. The collision occurred on a section of road near the settlement of Chalymly.

Casualties and the death toll were updated

Initially, Turkish media reported seven dead and seven injured, but later the death toll rose to nine. The governor of Van province, Ozan Balcı, said that among the dead were five women and four men. Another five people — three women and two men — were injured and taken to hospitals.

Cause theory and traffic consequences

According to the governor, heavy rain fell in the region before the accident, making the road surface slippery; law enforcement agencies are establishing the circumstances of the collision. Ambulances, police, gendarmerie, firefighters, AFAD personnel and UMKE services were dispatched to the scene. Traffic on the highway was temporarily restricted; later, passage was organized in a controlled mode.

A similar accident in late September

Life.ru recalls another fatal accident involving a minibus in Turkey: in late September, in Gaziantep province, a passenger car collided with a passenger minibus. Seven people were killed, including two children, and 13 more were injured. According to preliminary information from local authorities, the cause was improper overtaking by the car driver.