Story of Minibus Owner and Their Relatives Stranded Under an Avalanche

Approximately 4.5 months ago, the owner of the minibus that was trapped under an avalanche on the Van-Bahçesaray highway came to the area with relatives when the road was cleared. A total of 10 people, including Osman Küncü driving the minibus heading towards Bahçesaray 133 days ago in Van, and Temir Sabırlı driving the light commercial truck, got caught in snow and blizzard during the descent of the 3,000-meter-high Karabet Pass. The stranded individuals asked for help from the teams. Since the area was closed to traffic due to the risk of avalanches and the teams could not reach the area, the 10 people abandoned their vehicles and walked 9 kilometers on foot to reach the town. The abandoned 2 vehicles were later trapped under avalanches. The vehicle owners who arrived in the area tried to rescue the minibus and the light commercial vehicle with shovels. While Temir Sabırlı, with his companions, managed to rescue his trapped vehicle with the help of highway teams, Osman Küncü could not do anything because the minibus had rolled down into the ravine due to the avalanche. As the weather worsened in the following days, the road was completely closed to traffic. The road, which had been closed for about 4.5 months, was opened to traffic on Thursday evening, and vehicle traffic was allowed on Friday. Ismail Küncü and his relatives arrived at the minibus trapped under the avalanche for 4.5 months with the opening of the road. While removing some items from inside, they requested help from the authorities to remove the minibus.

Statements of Ismail Küncü

Ismail Küncü, whose vehicle was trapped under the avalanche, recounted what happened 4.5 months ago. Küncü, expressing that when he hears about Bahçesaray, he remembers the avalanche disaster that occurred on 4-5 February 2020, where 42 people lost their lives, said, ‘The incident is still fresh in my mind. I extend my condolences to the martyrs and wish patience to the grieving families. We set off from Van to Bahçesaray on 22 December 2023 around 13:20. When we arrived at Karabet Pass, snowfall and blizzard started. When we arrived in this area, we saw that one of the two vehicles was stuck in the snow, and we tried to pull it out. As we were pulling it out, an avalanche fell in front of us. We got stranded here when the avalanche fell. We left our vehicles and went to Bahçesaray on foot. The avalanches that came after us dragged my car down. My car has been waiting under the snow for about 4.5 months,’ he said.

Process of Rescuing the Vehicle and Ismail Küncü’s Expectations

Küncü, officially stating that the road was opened today, said, ‘I am waiting for permission from the district governor. I cannot retrieve my vehicle without permission. We are waiting for the district governor’s permission because there is still avalanche danger here. When the road opened, I was curious about the condition of my vehicle and came here. I wondered if it is still in its place or if it slid further down. After my car was trapped under the avalanche, I came here from time to time. I came more than 20 times. My car being here disturbed my sleep, most nights I couldn’t sleep. I cannot retrieve my car from here on my own. It requires a huge expense. Hopefully, the authorities will help,’ he said.