Turkish athlete dies after collapsing while working on construction

BODRUM – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

National team athlete Murat Karabaş has died after being trapped under rubble while working at a construction site in Bodrum, in the Aegean province of Muğla.

Karabaş was working in an 8.5-meter deep and 1-meter wide hole for an isolation project in a school building in Bodrum’s Ortakent neighborhood when a collapse occurred on site on the afternoon of July 22. The school’s officials rushed to the garden and immediately called for search and rescue teams and gendarmerie units when they realized Karabaş was trapped.

However, his body was found dead by rescue teams after an hour long search. It was sent to the morgue of Bodrum State Hospital after prosecutors examined the scene.

According to reports, the 29-year-old athlete recently sat the Public Personnel Selection Examination (KPSS) to become a physical education teacher, and had been working in construction with his brother in the meantime.

Local gendarmerie forces have launched an investigation into Karabaş’s death.

He recently became the Turkish national champion in the 1,500, 5,000, and 10,000 meter running events.