Former ministers injured in pileup in central Türkiye
An undated photo taken in an undisclosed location shows Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk (L) and Atilla Koç. (IHA Photo)


Former Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koç and his daughter, former minister of Family and Social Services Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, were among eight people injured in a pileup in the central province of Eskişehir late Sunday.

The father and the daughter were transferred to a hospital in Ankara, while the others were taken to nearby hospitals after the accident in a rural part of Eskişehir’s Sivrihisar district. None of the injured were in critical condition.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said in a statement that an investigation was launched into the incident while offering get-well-soon wishes to former ministers and the other victims.

Atilla Koç, 80, a two-term lawmaker for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), served as minister of Culture and Tourism between 2005 and 2007. His daughter Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk served as minister of Family, Labor and Social Services between 2018 and 2021, before the ministry’s name was changed. Selçuk currently serves as director general of the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), a subsidiary of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).