Car accident kills chief public prosecutor in Turkey's west

A chief public prosecutor and his driver were killed in a car accident in the Merkezefendi district of the western province of Denizli on May 10. 

Denizli Chief Public Prosecutor Mustafa Alper, 48, and his driver Muzaffer Akşehirli were killed when a truck laden with excavations crashed into their car on a highway.

Alper, his bodyguard Ramazan Uğur and Akşehirli were heading to a prison in the Honaz district at around 8:30 a.m. when the truck, driven by Uğur Tufan, 53, hit their car. The car was dragged under the truck for five meters before the truck and the excavations in it smashed the car. 

Uğur was taken to the Denizli State Hospital as courthouse employees and his colleagues poured to the scene of the accident. Uğur's condition was not said to be life threatening. 

Denizli Governor Ahmet Altıparmak arrived at the scene and obtained information. 

Tufan who fled the scene after the deadly accident, was detained.

Alper and Akşehirli's bodies were taken to Pamukkale University Hospital's morgue for an autopsy. 

Chief public prosecutors of the western province of İzmir and the southern province of Antalya visited the hospital to express their condolences.  

A statement was released from the Denizli Governor's Office later in the day, which said the accident occurred due to the truck driver not taking the "stop" sign into consideration while approaching an intersection. 

The statement also said an investigation was launched into the incident. 

"We are experiencing the deep sorrow of losing a precious statesman and a lawman in an accident," it added. 

Alper was the first chief public prosecutor to launch an investigation into the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ...