High school student dies after falling from air well at Kabataş station

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

Kabataş port, tramway and funicular station is one of the busiest transportation nodes of Istanbul. DHA photo

A high school student has died after falling from an air ventilation duct at the central Kabataş funicular station in Istanbul. 

Mahsun Bilim, 16, was talking with friends on the roof of the air well on the evening of April 5 when he stepped on a portion where the roof was missing and which was only covered with wires, according to eyewitnesses.
 
Medical teams rushed to the spot, but the young student did not survive the seven-meter fall. Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the incident, and police are seeking to determine whether portions of the roof were stolen by thieves or whether there was any negligence on the part of public officials, authorities said following an initial inspection. 
 
The Kabataş port, tramway and funicular station in Beyoğlu district is one of the busiest transportation nodes in Istanbul. The funicular line connects the port on the Bosphorus, where boats come from the Anatolian side, with Taksim Square and the Şişhane-Hacıosman metro line, while the tramway serves the city’s historical center. Kabataş is also near to many big hotels where numerous tourists spend their stay.