Ankara train crash leaves nine dead, 47 injured
Ankara, Dec 13: Nine people were killed and nearly 50 injured after a high-speed train crashed into a locomotive in the Turkish capital on Thursday, officials said.
Transport Minister Cahit Turhan told reporters in televised remarks that three of those killed were operators of the train.
One of the victims died in hospital, he added.
Turhan added that 47 people were injured and were in hospital for treatment.
The fast train had been on its way from Ankara's main station to the central province of Konya and according to Hurriyet daily, there were 206 passengers on board.
Earlier, the Ankara governor's office said three out of a total of 46 people had been seriously injured.
The death toll was rising fast. Ankara governor Vasip Sahin said earlier on Thursday morning that four people had been killed.
"This morning there was an accident after the 6.30 high-speed train to Konya hit a locomotive tasked with checking rails on the same route," Sahin told reporters in televised remarks.
Turhan said the accident took place six minutes after the train left Ankara as it entered the Marsandiz station.
The governor said search and rescue efforts continued as "technical investigations" were underway to find out exactly what caused the crash in Yenimahalle district.
He said information about the cause of the crash would be shared with the public when it is known.
Images published by Turkish media showed some wagons had derailed and debris from the train scattered on the rail track, which was covered in snow.
The windows of one wagon were completely broken while another wagon had been smashed after hitting the footbridge, which also collapsed, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.
The Ankara public prosecutor launched an investigation into the crash, state news agency Anadolu reported.
The Ankara to Konya high-speed route was launched in 2011 and was followed in 2014 with a high-speed link between Ankara and Istanbul.
The accident comes after another rail disaster in July this year when 24 people were killed and hundreds more injured after a train derailed in Tekirdag province, northwest Turkey, due to ground erosion following heavy rains.
Turkey's rail network has been hit by several fatal accidents in recent years.
In March 2014, a commuter train smashed into a minibus on a railway track in the southern Turkish province of Mersin, which left 10 dead.
In January 2008, nine people were killed when a train derailed in the Kutahya region south of Istanbul because of faulty tracks.
Turkey's worst rail disaster in recent history was in July 2004 when 41 people were killed and 80 injured after a high-speed train derailed in the northwestern province of Sakarya.
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Sambhal violence: Protesters to pay for damage to property, posters of 'stone pelters' to be put up
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh government will make protesters involved in the Sambhal violence pay for damage to public property while posters of "stone pelters" will be displayed at public places, an official said on Wednesday.
Four people died and scores, including police personnel, were injured in Sambhal on Sunday after a confrontation erupted over a court-ordered survey of the city's Shahi Jama Masjid in Kot Garvi area, following a petition claiming that a Harihar temple once stood at the site.
"The UP government is adopting a firm stance against the individuals involved in the Sambhal violence. Posters of the stone pelters and miscreants will be displayed publicly, and recovery of damages will be sought. A reward may also be announced for information leading to their arrest," an official spokesperson said.
In a similar initiative, the government had previously put up posters of individuals linked to vandalism during the anti-CAA protests in 2020. These posters were displayed across several locations, including the state capital, but were later removed following a court order.
The violence in Sambhal erupted on Sunday when a large crowd gathered near a mosque and began chanting slogans as a survey team resumed its work. The situation escalated when the protesters clashed with security personnel, set vehicles on fire, and pelted stones.
So far, police have arrested 25 individuals and registered seven FIRs, which include charges against Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, the Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, Sohail Iqbal, son of the party's local MLA Iqbal Mehmood, and over 2,750 unidentified suspects.
A magisterial probe is underway, and Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi stated on Monday that the situation was now under control. He assured that "strict action will be taken against those responsible for the unrest."
