I carried wounded soldiers with my broken arm: Bus driver in Kayseri attack

KAYSERİ

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The driver of a bus that was transporting soldiers in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri when it was attacked by an outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant has said that he carried wounded soldiers with a broken arm after the bombing. 

The driver, identified only as H.H., was wounded in the suicide attack which claimed the lives of a total of 14 soldiers and wounded 55 others on Dec. 17.

“I was the only civilian on the bus. I thought a truck hit us when I was about to move. I didn’t even know that it was a bombing,” he told daily Habertürk, adding that he found himself outside of the bus after the explosion.

“I looked around and I was outside. I ran and took three wounded soldiers out of the bus. I realized that my arm was broken afterwards. When I was trying to save another soldier that was stuck in the bus, I felt a cold in my arm and fell to the ground. I crawled and got to the sidewalk. I don’t remember the rest of it,” he also said. 

H.H.’s testimony was taken as a suspect after the suicide bombing. He was then sent back to the hospital for treatment. He was also accused of taking a different road then usual on the day of the attack and allowing a civilian to board the bus, which is forbidden. 

H.H. denied claims that he was involved in the attack and said the person who boarded the bus was a soldier, not a civilian. 

“When I was leaving the commando headquarters, I asked which road to take, because we have two routes there. They told me that it doesn’t matter and that I could take the mountain road. I said ‘OK’ and took the road,” he said, adding that the soldier who got on the bus later on said he had only one ticket. 

“‘I have only one ticket. Can I get on the bus?’ the soldier asked me. I allowed him to, without taking his money. On the way, a soldier shouted at me, saying he wanted to get off. I didn’t see who the soldier was but told him that he could get off at the stop,” he said, referring to the stop that was bombed. 

“God curse the ones who did this to the soldiers. I trust the state and justice. I’m honest, thankfully. If I’m involved in this, let them hang me,” he also said.