One killed as overpass collapses on busy Istanbul highway: Police chief

Overpass collapses on busy Istanbul highwayOne person was killed and four others were injured after pedestrian overpass on Istanbul’s busy E-5 highway collapsed in the Avcılar district during the morning rush hour on Sept. 3.

The accident took place after the dump of a truck carrying liquid glucose opened and hit the overpass.

Initial reports mentioned two dead, but Istanbul Police Chief Selami Altınok later revised the number of casualties, saying one person had been killed and four were injured in the accident. Earlier, Avcılar Mayor Handan Toprak was quoted as saying that two people had been killed.

Eye witnesses told private broadcaster CNNTürk that several people are still trapped under the overpass and efforts for their rescue are ongoing. Ambulances and fire fighters were rushed to the scene.

Police have taken security measures to prevent glucose, a highly-inflammable liquid, leaking from the truck and triggering a fire.

Noting that a similar accident had occurred in the same district two years ago, Toprak said any negligence that led to the collapse will be investigated. “All will be done for those responsible to be punished,” he was quoted as saying by CNNTürk.

The accident that caused the collapse was captured on traffic cameras on the highway: