Thousands of Turkish trucks have been stranded at two Türkiye-Bulgaria border crossings for days waiting to ship their commercial load to Europe, with concerns growing as drivers say they are slowly running out of supplies.
The jam has been ongoing for five days and the tailback at the Hamzabeyli checkpoint had reached as much as 38 kilometers (24 miles), before dropping to as low as 26 kilometers on Tuesday morning, Demirören News Agency (DHA) reported.
About 3,500 trucks are said to have been waiting in a line at the Kapıkule border crossing, many of which are said to have been parked by the roadside due to packed parking spots.
Teams from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) have been distributing food and drinks as stranded truckers complained of running out of supplies.
The Thrace Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade officials said the jam mostly stemmed from rising exports and soaring demand for Turkish goods, as well as Bulgaria’s inability to respond to such congestion.
There are also concerns over migrants, some of which can hide in the back of the trucks, in an effort to enter Bulgaria.
The Balkan country of 7 million is located on a major route for migrants from the Middle East and Afghanistan to Europe. Only a small number of them plan to stay in the EU’s poorest member, using Bulgaria instead as a transit corridor on their way westward.
Yadigar Kahraman says the longest tailback he had seen in 30 years of his truck driver career had been 30 kilometers long.
“But it is the first time that I have seen it reach 38 kilometers,” said Kahraman, who is waiting at Hamzabeyli crossing to travel to Germany. “Yesterday morning I queued from 38 kilometers. We just passed the 10-kilometer sign.”
“I went to a nearby store yesterday morning and there was no bread. Everyone who sees this queue buys too much of bread ... There is a queue that will last for at least two more days here. We can enter the parking area in 48 hours from now, we will spend 24 hours there, which means we will cross the border in around three days,” he stressed.
Seyit Demir, another driver stranded at the Hamzabeyli border crossing, complained of having experienced “tough days” and the inability to take shower due to a lack of facilities.
“I’ve been here for two days, I’m entering the 3rd day. There is no sink, no bread, and no water. We can get bread and water from our car, but where will the sink and bathroom come from?” Demir said.
“We’ve been here for two days. No bathroom, we’ll get infested with lice. Where am I going to wash, the car? I joined the queue at 38 kilometers, now there are 2 kilometers. The first target is the shower.”
Mustafa Karatay is among the first drivers who reached the parking spot, having been stranded in the jam for five days.
“The ordeal does not end. On the one hand, there is the fear of refugees. On the other hand, we are far from our family. We don’t know when we’ll get out. We spend a lot of money staying at the parking area,” Karatay said.
