15.01.2026 22:40
The lifeless body of Halil Gündüz, the missing driver of the car that overturned into the drainage canal in the Harran district of Şanlıurfa on December 29, was found 19 days later in the city of Tel Abyad, Syria.
The lifeless body of Halil Gündüz (44), the missing driver of the car that overturned into the drainage canal in the Harran district of Şanlıurfa, was found 19 days later in the city of Tel Abyad, Syria.
THE CAR OVERTURNED INTO THE DRAINAGE CANAL
Ömer Gündüz (18), who was studying at a boarding school in Harran, came to the Buğdaytepe neighborhood where his family lives for the weekend holiday with his brother Mustafa Gündüz (14) and cousins Ali (14) and Ömer Gündüz (14). Halil Gündüz set off on Monday, December 29, 2025, with his car bearing the license plate 06 TM 983 to take the children to school.
During the journey, the family learned that schools were closed due to snowfall and wanted to return. However, due to the slippery road, the driver lost control of the steering wheel, and the car overturned into the water drainage canal near the Buğdaytepe neighborhood.
In the accident, Ömer Gündüz (18) managed to escape on his own, while the bodies of Mustafa, Ali, and Ömer Gündüz were reached after approximately 8 hours of work by AFAD, firefighters, gendarmerie, and health teams dispatched to the area upon notification. The driver Halil Gündüz could not be found. A total of 143 personnel, including diver police, AFAD, and firefighting teams, conducted a search in the canal and its surroundings over an area of approximately 80 kilometers to find the missing driver. The search efforts were also continued towards the city of Tel Abyad in Syria, considering the direction of the water flow.
THE LIFLESS BODY WAS FOUND IN SYRIA
Citizens who found a male corpse in the water canal near the town of Hamam Türkmen in Tel Abyad, Syria, reported the situation to the authorities. In the examination conducted by the security forces affiliated with the Syrian government dispatched to the area, it was assessed that the corpse might belong to Halil Gündüz, who went missing in the accident in Harran. The body was handed over to the Turkish officials dispatched to the region and brought to Turkey. The corpse, which was passed through the Akçakale Customs Gate, was taken to Akçakale State Hospital for identification.
STATEMENT FROM THE GOVERNORATE
In a written statement from the Şanlıurfa Governorate, it was stated, "Search efforts for our citizen named Halil Gündüz, the driver who went missing after a vehicle fell into the irrigation drainage canal in the Buğdaytepe neighborhood of our Harran district on December 29, 2025, have been carried out comprehensively and continuously under the coordination of our Governorate until today. Our missing citizen was found on January 15, 2026, around 18:00, within the borders of the Peace Spring Operation Area in Telabyad, Syria, approximately 24 kilometers away from our border. After the necessary procedures are completed, our citizen will be delivered to his family after the judicial process related to him is finalized. We once again pray for God's mercy upon the deceased citizen and extend our condolences to his family and relatives," it was stated.