At least 177 workers die in workplace accidents in Türkiye in May 2025

At least 177 workers lost their lives in workplace accidents across Türkiye in May 2025, according to a report by the Health and Safety Labour Watch Council (ISIG). The total number of worker fatalities in the first five months of 2025 has now reached 796.

The report draws 60% of its data from national media sources and the remaining 40% from colleagues, families, safety experts, union officials, and local press.

Industry breakdown: Dangerous sectors persist

Workplace deaths in May were concentrated in the construction (38 fatalities), agriculture and forestry (35), transportation (20), and trade, education, and entertainment sectors (15). Overall, the industrial sector accounted for 54 deaths, the service sector for 50, with the remainder in construction and agriculture.

As summer begins, fatal accidents surged in Türkiye's construction sites, transport hubs, factories (metal, textile, food), mining zones, energy plants, and urban service sectors.

The shuttle bus that fell into a creek bed after the accident in Tuzla, Istanbul, Türkiye, Jan. 24, 2025. (AA Photo)

Top causes: Traffic accidents and falls

Traffic accidents—particularly among transport and agricultural workers—were the leading cause of death, followed by crushing incidents, structural collapses, and health-related events such as heart attacks and strokes, often linked to job insecurity. Falls from heights, especially in construction, ranked fourth.

Other causes included physical violence, suicides, explosions, electrocution, and toxic exposure.

Tragic cases highlight broader issues

Among the deaths in May were:

• Two livestock workers, Oguzhan Aydemir and Cigdem Keskin, who died from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.
• Miner Ahmet Toygar, who succumbed to silicosis 21 years after initial exposure.
• Textile worker Erol Egrek, who died of a heart attack following an altercation outside Calik Holding, where he was protesting unpaid wages spanning a decade.

Child, female, and migrant workers among victims

Six child workers died in May—three in agriculture, two in metal, and one in textiles. Twelve women lost their lives in sectors including farming, education, metal, health care and municipal services.

Seven migrant workers also perished: five from Syria, one from Azerbaijan, and one from Iran. These individuals were employed in agriculture, mining, textiles, construction, commerce, and transport.

Unionisation and vulnerability

Only eight of 177 workers (about 4.5%) were union members, highlighting the vulnerability of the largely unorganised workforce. Unionised victims were found in public services, mining, office work, metal, transport, health care and security.

A view of the terminal building under construction at the site of Istanbul New Airport during a press tour in northern Istanbul, Türkiye, April 13, 2018. (AFP Photo)

Geographic spread: Fatalities across 54 cities

Workplace fatalities were reported in 54 provinces and one foreign country, including:

• Istanbul (24 deaths)
• Aydin, Mugla, Sakarya (eight each)
• Ankara, Giresun (six each)
• Canakkale, Gaziantep, Hatay, Konya, Sanliurfa (five each)

Other cities recorded between one and four deaths. One worker died abroad in Serbia while employed by a Türkiye-based company.

A young Syrian refugee sewed shoe parts in a factory in Gaziantep, Türkiye, May 4, 2016. (Photo via Chris McGrath)

Age groups: Young and elderly among dead

Victims included:

• Two children under 14
• Four aged 15–17
• 25 aged 18–29
• 84 aged 30–49
• 52 aged 50–64
• Four over 65
• Six whose ages were unrecorded

June 12, 2025 03:39 PM GMT+03:00