INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Heavy rains had eroded the earth under the tracks, leaving a gap under the rails (AFP)Istanbul: Twenty-four people were killed in northwest
Turkey when a train headed for Istanbul derailed following heavy rain and a landslide, authorities said on Monday, making it the worst train
disaster in the country in more than 14 years.Hospitals nearby were treating 124 people injured in Sunday's accident, Turkish health
minister Ahmet Demircan said, according to state broadcaster TRT Haber
The train was carrying 362 passengers.Two train drivers were summoned for questioning by police on Monday over the accident, state news
agency Anadolu reported.Footage by Demiroren news agency from the scene showed at least five wagons lying on their side while workmen
wearing helmets examined the tracks and bulldozers moved to remove the wreckage.The train had departed from Corlu, a district in the
northwestern Turkish province of Tekirdag, about 120 km (75 miles) west of Istanbul
Heavy rains had eroded the earth under the tracks, leaving a gap under the rails, Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said late on
Sunday.Critics on social media shared pictures of the eroded land below the train tracks, saying the infrastructure was poor and the
railroad was not properly maintained
Arslan said the latest inspection had been carried out in April.Rescue work was completed at 6.00 am (0300 GMT), deputy prime minister Recep
Akdag was quoted as saying by Anadolu.The accident was the deadliest rail disaster in Turkey since January 2004, when a high-speed train
derailed in the northwestern district of Pamukova, killing 41 people.© Thomson Reuters 2018
