Worker killed in rockfall at Kayseri high-speed train construction site

A worker was killed, and another was injured when falling rocks struck a high-speed train construction site in the Himmetdede area of Kayseri’s Kocasinan district in Central Anatolia.

Kayseri Governor Gökmen Çiçek visited the site and provided details about the incident, stating that it occurred during a shift with seven workers on duty.

“It was not a collapse but rather rocks falling from above,” he said in response to earlier reports of a collapse at the site. “Five of our workers managed to escape when they noticed what was happening. Unfortunately, one worker was struck directly on the head and lost his life. Another was injured, suffering fractures in his legs. He has been taken to the hospital, and we currently do not believe his condition is life-threatening.”

Çiçek added that an excavator was present at the site, and the accident happened just as the machine had stopped working. “As far as we know, the incident occurred at that moment,” he said.

According to reports from the Workers’ Health and Work Safety (İSİG) Council, five workers die daily in workplace accidents across Turkey. Since the beginning of the year, 299 workers have lost their lives, including 178 in January and 121 in February.

In 2024 alone, 1,897 workers have died in workplace accidents. (HA/VK)