Court releases only arrested defendant in Çorlu train derailment case

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A railway official facing charges over a deadly 2018 train derailment in northwestern Türkiye has been released after 50 days under arrest.

Mümin Karasu, a maintenance manager at the State Railways (TCDD) 1st Regional Directorate, was the only arrested one among the 13 defendants.

Twenty-five people, including children, were killed and 340 others were injured when a train derailed in Çorlu, Tekirdağ.

Investigations revealed that the railway track had slipped down because the ground between rails and a culvert had collapsed after torrential rains. No senior officials were dismissed or resigned after the incident.

At yesterday's (November 24) hearing, the Çorlu 2nd Heavy Penal Court accepted an appeal against Karasu's arrest, considering that there was no new evidence in the case and multiple defendants facing the same charges were not arrested.

The prosecutor had demanded the continuance of the arrest, concluding that it was in line with the laws.

Karasu was arrested on October 10, four days after the previous hearing where the court had ordered his arrest for "causing the deaths and injuries of multiple persons by gross negligence."

What happened?

Leaving Türkiye's northwestern Edirne province for İstanbul with 362 passengers and 6 personnel on board, the train derailed and rolled over in Çorlu, Tekirdağ on July 8, 2018. Twenty-five people, including seven children, lost their lives and 328 others were injured.

The indictment prepared by the Çorlu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office demanded the penalization of Railway Regional Maintenance Manager Turgut Kurt, Road Maintenance and Repair Chief Özkan Polat, Line Maintenance and Repair Officer Celaleddin Çabuk and Bridge Chief Çetin Yıldırım, who signed the annual inspection report before the derailment. Found to be the primary negligent parties in the Çorlu train massacre, they are charged with "reckless injury and killing." (HA/VK)