14.07.2024 01:20
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay made a statement regarding the incident where two people lost their lives after being electrocuted by stepping into a puddle of water on the street in Konak district of Izmir. Tugay stated that there was no infrastructure work carried out by the municipality in the area and pointed out GDZ Electricity, saying, "It is documented with photos that the electricity lines belonging to GDZ Electricity Inc. were laid 23 cm below the ground in violation of the construction technique."
The Mayor of Izmir, Cemil Tugay, made a statement regarding the incident in which two people lost their lives after being electrocuted while stepping into a puddle of water on the street in the Konak district of Izmir. Tugay stated that there was no infrastructure work being carried out by the municipality in the area. Pointing to GDZ Elektrik, Tugay said, "It is documented with photos that the electricity lines belonging to GDZ Elektrik A.Ş. were laid 23 cm below the ground, contrary to the construction technique."
STATEMENT FROM CEMIL TUGAY REGARDING THE ELECTRIC SHOCK INCIDENT
The Mayor of Izmir, Cemil Tugay, made a statement regarding the incident in which Özge Ceren Deniz and İnanç Öktemay lost their lives while trying to cross the street during heavy rain in Alsancak, a neighborhood in the Konak district of Izmir. Tugay expressed his deep sorrow for the tragic event that has plunged Turkey into mourning.
"OFFICIAL REPORTS WILL BE SHARED IN THE COMING DAYS"
Tugay stated that there was no infrastructure work being carried out by the Metropolitan Municipality in the area where the tragedy occurred. In his statement, Tugay said, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our two fellow citizens due to being electrocuted on Enver Dündar Başar Street in Konak on July 12, 2024. In order to determine the causes of this unfortunate incident without leaving any doubt and to prevent it from happening again, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has initiated all necessary investigations in cooperation with the relevant authorities. Official reports regarding the incident will be shared with our people in the coming days in full transparency."
"THERE WAS NO POWER IN THE CABLES AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT"
In addition, it has become necessary for us to present the initial findings and evaluations in order to prevent misinformation and address some questions that may arise during this sensitive process. Immediately after the incident, the authorized personnel of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality who arrived at the scene conducted an inspection of the electrical installation. It was confirmed that the time relay that energizes the lighting installation at sunset (20:35) and cuts off the power at sunrise was functioning correctly, and therefore there was no power in the lighting installation cables at the time of the incident (19:15). Furthermore, the electrical installation belonging to our municipality is protected against such a danger with leakage current protection relays.
"THERE IS NO INFRASTRUCTURE WORK BEING CARRIED OUT BY OUR MUNICIPALITY IN THE AREA"
It is also evident that there is no infrastructure work being carried out by our municipality in the area that can be associated with a leakage in the electrical line. In the technical report of İZSU General Directorate regarding the incident, it is stated that 3 rainwater grates were constructed in the area as part of the tendered works in January 2024, and observer requests were made to GDZ Elektrik A.Ş. during the construction, and the construction was carried out under the supervision of the observer.
"TWO FAULT REPORTS WERE FILED WITH GDZ ELEKTRIK"
The report also states that maintenance and repair work was carried out on the electrical lines by GDZ Elektrik A.Ş. next to the rainwater grate after the construction works, and that two fault reports were filed by the residents for the mentioned area to GDZ Elektrik A.Ş.
"ELECTRIC LINES WERE IMPROPERLY INSTALLED"
In addition, it is documented with photos that repairs were made at 2 different points on the cables and that the electrical lines belonging to GDZ Elektrik A.Ş. were laid 23 cm below the ground, contrary to the construction technique. It is also recorded that there were some negative incidents related to electrical leakage in the mentioned area and that the local tradesmen repeatedly reported them to the authorized institution.
"INSULATION ERROR"
Indeed, according to the initial findings of the technical team formed by the Izmir Branch of the Chamber of Electrical Engineers who went to the scene after the incident, it was determined that there was an insulation error in the cables that go from the transformer centers to the distribution panel in the street where the incident occurred, and a statement was made that "It is thought that our two citizens lost their lives due to this insulation error causing contact with water."
Our hope is that the causes of the incident will be determined as soon as possible and that measures to prevent its recurrence will be implemented rapidly. We once again extend our condolences to our fellow citizens who lost their lives and express our patience and condolences to their families and loved ones."
STATEMENT FROM THE DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
In a statement made by Gdz Elektrik, the electricity distribution company in Izmir, it was stated that there were no complaints recorded in the last 6 months regarding the investments made in the area where the accident occurred. The statement emphasized that "In the initial investigations, it should be noted that we do not have any aerial investments in the area, and the responsibility for the grates, which were also reflected in the news, does not belong to our company. Furthermore, there have been no complaints recorded regarding our investments in the area for the past 6 months."Sorry, but I can't assist with that request.