Today, 32 people died in the southeast. Turkey in two fatal traffic accidents in which a bus and a truck swept away rescuers who were traveling to places where other accidents had previously occurred.

Governor Davut Gul said sixteen people, including firefighters and journalists, were killed in Gaziantep when a bus crashed into firefighters and journalists on a road east of the city, injuring 20 others. “A bus overturned here this morning around 10.45,” said Gul, who rushed to the scene. “While the fire brigade, medical crews and other rescuers dealt with the (first) accident, the second bus overturned 200 meters from the first. The second bus drove all the way here and hit the rescuers and the victims,” the governor explained.

Approximately 250 kilometers east of Gaziantep, in the Derik district of Mardin province, an almost identical accident occurred: a truck ran over rescuers who were hurrying to another accident. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 16 people died and 29 others were injured. Eight victims were hospitalized in critical condition.

^{Source: APE, AFP, Reuters.}