Bill from Istanbul Nevruz damage comes in at 1 mln Turkish Liras
ISTANBUL - Hurriyet.com.tr
DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
Yesterday’s Nevruz clashes in Istanbul between revelers and police resulted in 1 million Turkish Liras in damage, daily Hürriyet reported on its website today.Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality made a statement today, saying there was extensive damage to mass transit vehicles and bus stops.
Thirty-nine city buses were hit by stones and severely damaged, according to the statement. A bus belonging to the municipality's traffic department that was used for children's traffic education was also torched.
Five ticket booths were destroyed on the Metrobüs route, while 42 glass panels on overpass railings were smashed.
A total of 42 bus stops between Istanbul's Yenikapı and Zeytinburnu districts were allegedly demolished by protesters.
Six trams were damaged and numerous tram windows were shattered by stones hurled by protesters, the statement said, while a number of ticket booths and token-dispensing machines were damaged beyond use.
'No sign of impact'
Istanbul’s governor decided to ban yesterday’s early celebration of Nevruz, leading to clashes with groups who refused to cancel plans to celebrate the spring holiday in Istanbul. One person, Hacı Zengin, was killed as a result of the clashes.
Istanbul Gov. Hüseyin Avni Mutlu offered his condolences to Zengin's family today, saying preliminary medical reports did not indicate that his body had received any blows.
"There are no marks on the deceased's body or head to indicate that he was hit by a gas canister. Zengin was diagnosed with chronic asthma. The cause of death will be determined by the coroner," Mutlu said.
