15.06.2026 20:11
While search efforts continue for a father and son in a pickup truck that crashed into the Şavşat Stream in Artvin, AK Party Artvin Deputy Faruk Çelik fiercely criticized the contractor company blocking road construction in the area. Stating that the Şavşat road turns into a 'death road' in the spring months, Çelik addressed the company that has not started construction for 10 years, saying, 'The people of Artvin are in a deadlock, enough is enough! Either build these dams or get out.'
Search efforts continue for Selahaddin Kaya (65) and his son Mecit Kaya (45), who were in a pickup truck that plunged into the Şavşat Stream at the Çifte Hanlar location on the 46th kilometer of the Artvin-Ardahan highway in Artvin.
SEARCH EFFORTS EXPANDED
During inspections of the vehicle retrieved from the water by teams, the father and son were not found. After a path was cleared along the stream bank using heavy machinery, the pickup truck was removed from the water. However, as the father and son were not located inside the vehicle, teams expanded their search efforts in the area. Şavşat District Governor Bayram Köse, Mayor Durmuş Aydın, and Provincial Disaster and Emergency Director Kemal Şenlioğlu also monitored the operations on site.
REACTION FROM AK PARTY'S ÇELİK: I'M CALLING OUT TO THE COMPANY FROM HERE—EITHER BUILD THESE DAMS OR GET OUT
Faruk Çelik, Member of Parliament for Artvin, who has served as Minister of Labor and Social Security, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, and Minister of State in AK Party governments, made a striking statement on social media regarding the accident. Emphasizing that the Artvin-Şavşat road turns into a 'road of death' especially in spring, Çelik stated that the contractor company for the three planned dams in the region has not started construction, and therefore the road cannot be built either, saying, “Either build these dams or get out.”
Çelik used the following expressions: “Today, we once again faced a tragic accident on the Artvin-Şavşat road. Search activities for our 2 casualties continue in the dam waters. The road to the paradise of Şavşat turns into a death road in spring. Our fellow citizens are condemned to a road below standards, and I am devastated by this situation. For 10 years, we have been telling the contractor Energo-Pro, which is supposed to build the 3 planned dams in the region, to start construction, but they don't start; we tell them to quit, but they don't quit. As a result, the new road cannot be built either. The people of Artvin are in a deadlock. Enough is enough. I am calling out to the company from here—either build these dams or get out. I am also calling out to our Ministry of Energy—end the dam construction process, which has proven to be endless.”