GDZ Electricity: “Site investigations have been completed”

GDZ Elektrik announced that the investigations regarding the deaths of 2 individuals who were electrocuted while passing through a puddle during heavy rain in the Konak district of Izmir have been completed, and made a written statement regarding the expressions and allegations in social media and the press.

GDZ Elektrik, after the announcement of the completion of the on-site investigations carried out by the authorized institutions following the deaths of İnanç Öktemay and Özge Ceren Deniz due to electrocution during heavy rain in the Konak district of Izmir, made a written statement on the matter.

In the statement, it was stated that ‘Following the completion of the investigations, it has become necessary to make a statement regarding the expressions and allegations in social media and the press’ and the following information was provided:

‘For the past 6 months, requests coming to our institution from all channels including CİMER, Call Center, social media regarding the area where the incident took place have been examined, and it was found that there was no complaint record. Complaints that have been conveyed by the residents of the area for a long time have been directly addressed to other responsible institutions. Furthermore, a fault record related to a different network element in the area was received on January 9, and the problem was resolved by the teams and the record was closed.’

‘The statement used expressions such as ‘We would like to share our findings regarding the news that the depth of the network does not comply with regulations’ and continued, ‘It has been determined that three new rainwater grates were built on our electricity network in the area on January 5 without any information provided by the relevant infrastructure institution and without our approval. There was absolutely no request for observation from our institution before, during, or after this process. Damage to our network was clearly seen and recorded during the inspections conducted by the authorized institutions on July 13, 2024. In addition, it is observed that the positions of our underground electrical cables were altered by interventions during the works. We would like to emphasize once again that these works were carried out without any information conveyed to our institution in any way.’

‘Furthermore, it is stated in the statement that ‘Misleading shares based on incomplete information are also being made based on a news article by Ege Telgraf newspaper in 2019,’ and it was continued, ‘The essence of the incident is as follows; Upon a news article published in Ege Telgraf newspaper on January 19, 2019, our teams intervened in the area promptly and the problem was quickly resolved. Subsequently, the same newspaper made a news article on January 21, 2019, stating that the problem had been resolved. With our responsibility to transparently inform the public, we express our readiness for all kinds of cooperation with all institutions and organizations; we would like to once again share our deep sorrow for the deaths of İnanç Öktemay and Özge Ceren Deniz. We extend our condolences and patience to their grieving families, relatives, and all loved ones.’