The painful toll of the holiday break announced: '70 of our citizens lost their lives in traffic accidents'

Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi announced the toll of traffic accidents that occurred during the 9-day Eid al-Adha holiday. Stating that 334 thousand personnel were on duty on the roads throughout the holiday, Minister Çiftçi announced that, despite all measures, unfortunately, 70 of our citizens lost their lives in traffic accidents.

With the end of the 9-day Eid al-Adha holiday, roads across the country were packed, and long-term traffic congestion and accidents occurred at many central points. Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi shared the work carried out during the holiday and the loss of life with the public in a statement made via his social media account.

"334 thousand personnel worked on a 24-hour basis"

Stating that security and traffic measures were kept at the highest level during the holiday period when millions of citizens hit the road to visit their hometowns, Minister Çiftçi used the following expressions:

"We have left the Eid al-Adha holiday behind. Throughout the holiday, 334 thousand 17 personnel of our Ministry of Interior worked on a 24-hour basis for the peace and security of our citizens. In traffic, we continued our inspections without interruption with 66 thousand 481 of our personnel and 49 thousand 826 team vehicles."

"It was the year with the lowest loss of life"

Expressing his sadness over the loss of life despite all inspections and warnings, Minister Çiftçi emphasized that thanks to the measures taken, a decrease in the rate of loss of life was achieved compared to previous years, and continued his statement as follows:

"Despite all our measures, we unfortunately lost 70 of our citizens in traffic accidents during the Eid al-Adha holiday. I wish God's mercy upon our citizens who lost their lives and offer my condolences to their grieving families and relatives. Every life we lose leaves a deep mark on our hearts. However, thanks to the measures we have taken and the sensitivity shown by our citizens to traffic rules, the 2026 Eid al-Adha holiday has been the year with the lowest loss of life among Eid al-Adha holidays where a 9-day break was implemented."