Twenty people have died in a devastating road accident in Derik district in the province of Mardin. Twenty-six people were injured and are being treated in hospital. The accident occurred on Saturday when the brake of a truck failed on the main road of the district and subsequently another truck drove into the accident site. The trucks belong to Cengiz Holding, which is known as the biggest destroyer of the environmental and social balance in Kurdistan and Turkey. Cengiz Holding is part of the so-called "Gang of Five", a corporate complex closely intertwined with the AKP government that profits massively from public-private partnership projects.

HDP spokesperson Ebru Günay made a statement in front of Derik State Hospital in which she expressed her condolences to the relatives of the fatalities and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Commenting on the accident, the Kurdish politician said: "This is a disaster caused by a series of inadequate measures. There has been only one lane on the main road for a long time and it is used by trucks. The brakes of one truck failed and an accident occurred. A crowd then gathered at the scene of the accident, into which a second truck drove half an hour later. Both trucks belong to Cengiz Holding. It is common knowledge that these trucks keep causing deaths because they are not inspected and maintained."

The two drivers of the crashed trucks have been taken into custody.