Deadly bus accident most discussed topic of the week in Azerbaijan

Two people died and forty were injured earlier this week when a bus crashed into a freight train at a railway crossing. The incident occurred in one of Baku’s suburbs.

The accident has been discussed all week by the public, who were shocked to hear that a public transport worker was at fault. Apparently, the bus driver did not apply the brakes while approaching the railway crossing nor did he notice the train as it bore down on him.

As a result, the bus driver, Alikhan Shiraliyev, and the bus company’s dispatcher, Mubariz Farajev, have been arrested.

Shiraliyev was arrested for not undergoing a medical examination before heading out on the bus, while the dispatcher was taken into custody for allowing him to do so.

A number of rumors arose during the investigation. One version of events goes that the bus driver was a former convict who was under the influence of drugs when the accident occurred. Another rumor says that the mother of a boy who was killed in the crash had committed suicide. However, the boy’s relatives have denied this rumor.

Facebook users have been discussing the transport sector as a whole in Azerbaijan, noting that drivers often ignore the rules of the road and do not ensure the safety of their passengers:

“I wonder how many more of these accidents and deaths we need for the city authorities to seriously take care of issues in municipal transport – specifically, lawlessness.”

“None of the passengers support you if you mention an issue to the driver. People don’t even have the elementary instinct of self-preservation. In this case, the driver is of course guilty. But the passengers themselves are also responsible.”

“Of course the train tracks shouldn’t have been laid right here – right in the middle of the street! Those who built the tracks are guilty.”