Sahin: There Is An Opinion That The Train Derailed Due To Engineer's Mistake

ISTANBUL - There is an opinion that the high-speed train derailed due to engineer's mistake, Turkish State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said on Tuesday.
Replying to questions about criticisms regarding the train derailment near Pamukova and censure motion against the Turkish Transportation Minister, which the parliament will debate tomorrow (Wednesday), Sahin said, ''if these accidents damage confidence in the state and government... (think about) thirty-six people died in traffic accidents yesterday. Many people are killed in traffic accidents each year in Turkey. There are several reasons. One of the causes is that our roads are out of standards. Our government has ordered the construction of fifteen thousand kilometers of expressway.''
''Some people tried to hold the government responsible for the train crash near Pamukova. A technical study is under way. Necessary steps will be taken when we get the results of this study. To my knowledge there is an opinion that the train derailed because of the engineer's mistake,'' he said.
''The state and government will absolutely fulfill their duties and responsibilities by paying compensation to relatives of the victims,'' he added.
(MS-ULG) 03.08.2004