Worker killed after collapse during tunnel construction in Rize

RİZE

The tunnel in the mountainous İkizdere district is part of a new highway that will link Rize to the Eastern Anatolian city of Erzurum. AA Photo

Despite the government’s solemn promises, labor accidents continue to claim lives in Turkey, with one worker killed and three others injured after a portion of a tunnel under construction in the Black Sea province of Rize collapsed late on Nov. 12.

The body of Mehmet Çoban, 50, was found under the rubble after the incident, while three workers were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

The tunnel in the mountainous İkizdere district is part of the new highway that will link Rize to the Eastern Anatolian city of Erzurum.

While the cause of the collapse remains unknown, all construction has been stopped and an investigation has been launched into the incident.  

The accident comes at a time when the government had launched an ambitious road map to tackle years of being laissez-faire regarding job safety, which has led to a spree of labor accidents that have recently hit Turkey, particularly over the last year.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu promised to improve Turkey’s record in deaths at labor sites after the succession recent accidents, including the Soma mining disaster that claimed 301 victims in May, an elevator accident in the construction field of an Istanbul tower on Sept. 8 that killed 10 workers, and last month’s mine flooding which has left 18 workers trapped.

He also vowed to end impunity for company officials in the wake of the start of the trial into the massacre in Soma.