Armored vehicle hits civilian car in Diyarbakır, three people injured

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A speeding armored vehicle hit a civilian car in the southeastern Diyarbakır province, Mesopotamia Agency (MA) reported.

Police teams headed to Huzurevi Neighborhood upon a report of theft early in the morning. While chasing the suspects who attempted to escape, an armored police vehicle hit a semi panel van that was coming out of the side road. The armored vehicle overturned and the van went off the cord after te collision.

A police officer and two of the three people in the van were injured in the accident. One of them was Hadi Güler, the son of ill prisoner Sıddık Güler.

The injured were admitted to the Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital. They were reportedly in good condition after treatment.

Armored vehicle crashes

Security forces widely use armored vehicles in the country's predominantly Kurdish-populated eastern and southeastern regions. Rights groups draw attention to frequent deadly accidents involving these vehicles.

According to the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV/HRFT), 42 people, including 20 children, lost their lives in 76 incidents involving armored vehicles between 2008 and 2021.

In the last four years, 50 people, including 14 children, were injured and 18 people, including nine children, lost their lives in armored vehicle accidents.

2020: Two incidents, one person was injured, two children were killed.

2019: Six incidents, two children and one adult were injured, one child and two adults were killed.

2018: Seventeen incidents, six children and 25 adults were injured, two children, one person with disabilities, and four other people were killed.

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(HA/VK)