28.12.2025 14:53
The bodies of those who lost their lives in the minibus accident transporting citizens to the market in Esenyurt were retrieved by their families from the Forensic Medicine Institution. It was revealed that the driver Niyazi Çelik, who died in the accident, was on leave on the day of the incident, and that the other driver was called to work due to the illness of the first driver.
A terrible accident occurred yesterday around 5:00 PM on Nazım Hikmet Boulevard in the Yeşilkent neighborhood of Esenyurt district in Istanbul. The service minibus with license plate 34 LLY 457, driven by Niyazi Çelik (61), veered off the road for an unknown reason and rolled into the ditch.
In the accident, 5 people lost their lives; 2 of them seriously injured, including 1 child, and 6 people were injured. Upon notification, fire, police, and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. The injured were taken to the hospital by ambulance. The bodies of the deceased driver Niyazi Çelik, Ahmet Kandemir (44), and Hacer Çakmakçı were sent to the Forensic Medicine Institution for autopsy.
"HE WAS DOING IT AS A SIDE JOB" Niyazi Çelik's cousin Nizamettin Çelik said, "I am his cousin. He was providing free transportation services there. Of course, he had gone to pick up passengers. They had an accident due to brake failure on the way back. We have no issues with anyone. He is someone who provides free service. He also went to Hajj 3-4 years ago. That's the situation. We are also sad. He was doing it as a side job, and on weekends, he was providing free transportation services at that market. They first took him to Mimar Sinan, then brought him to Çam Sakura, where he passed away. It was an incident due to brake failure. We are also sad. We are waiting for a report. He has four children; 3 daughters and 1 son. They are at the condolence house, waiting there. We came here to get a report," he said.
Ahmet Kandemir "THE OTHER DRIVER WAS SICK, THEY TOLD HIM TO COME" Çelik said, "His wife said, 'One driver got sick and didn't go, they called him and said, 'Come and take it.' The incident developed just like that. He said, 'I wasn't going to come today.' They told him, 'A sick driver can't come, you come and take it.' So he went for free, and while he was transporting, there was a brake failure. Normally, that car wouldn't be in gear. Even if it was a heart attack, if that car was in gear, it wouldn't go that fast. The car was coming like a bullet, and it flew into that ditch due to brake failure," he said.
Niyazi Çelik THE BODIES WERE COLLECTED FROM THE FORENSIC MEDICINE INSTITUTION The bodies of those who lost their lives in the accident were collected by their families. The funeral of Niyazi Çelik, the driver of the service minibus that transported customers at the market in Esenyurt, will be buried at Başakşehir Hoşdere Cemetery after the funeral prayer to be held following the noon prayer in Esenyurt. It was learned that Ahmet Kandemir's funeral will be buried in Durağan district of Sinop after the funeral prayer to be held following the noon prayer.