Tragedy Claims 3 Lives: Service Carrying Agricultural Workers from Şırnak Hit a Truck in Tarsus

In a tragic accident in Tarsus district of Mersin, a minibus carrying agricultural workers who traveled for kilometers to earn a living hit a truck from behind on the highway. 3 workers aged between 18 and 51 died and 16 were injured. Emine İrem Oktan, Maşallah Oktan and Halil Boztoğan left their families in tears.

28 September 2025 - Tarsus/Mersin - The seasonal journey of agricultural workers was once again interrupted by traffic terror. In Mersin's Tarsus district, a minibus carrying workers from Şırnak to work in agricultural lands in the region crashed, killing 3 people and injuring 16 others. This disastrous accident has once again revealed the painful picture of the lack of supervision and precariousness in the field of worker health and safety in Turkey.

Lives ended at a young age

The accident occurred in the early hours of the morning at the Damlama location of Ankara-Tarsus Highway. The minibus with the license plate 07 BCY 359, driven by M.G., rear-ended the truck (tow truck with license plate 42 ASD 781, trailer with license plate 42 ATL 24) driven by B.A., which was traveling in front of it.

With the violence of the collision, the minibus turned into scrap, 112 Emergency Health, gendarmerie and fire brigade teams were dispatched to the scene. In the first examinations of the medical teams, it was determined that 3 agricultural workers in the vehicle lost their lives.

The names of those who lost their lives were shared by the ISIG Assembly, revealing the magnitude of the grief:

• Emine İrem Oktan (18 years old)

• Maşallah Oktan (22 years old)

• Halil Boztoğan (51 years old)

Emine İrem and Maşallah Oktan, who lost their lives at a young age, and Halil Boztoğan, who is presumed to be the head of the family, will be sent back to their hometown Şırnak with their bodies from the land they came to earn a living.

16 Injured Hospitalized

In the accident, 16 agricultural workers in the minibus were also injured in various parts. The injured people were taken to Tarsus State Hospital by ambulances after the first intervention at the scene and were taken under treatment. While no further information on the health condition of the injured is available, authorities have launched a wide investigation into the accident.

Although the cause of the accident is not yet clear, experts point out that long-distance fatigue, driver errors and vehicle insecurity in seasonal worker transportation often play a role in such disasters.

'Coffin Carrier, Not Worker Shuttle' Problem

Every year, seasonal agricultural workers in Turkey are forced to travel hundreds of kilometers to work. The mostly unregulated and inadequate vehicles used during this forced migration often lead to fatal accidents. Civil society organizations and trade unions reiterate their call for the urgent implementation of legal regulations to ensure the safe transportation of agricultural workers and to prevent unsafe transportation under the name of "worker shuttles".

This tragedy proved once again that not only the working conditions of agricultural labor, but also the problem of safe transportation is a vital occupational safety issue.

Source: ISIG assembly