Turkey: a snow fight degenerates and leaves seven injured by gunfire
Eva Deschamps / March 13, 2022
Seven people were shot and injured Saturday night in Istanbul after a giant snowball fight got out of hand, Turkish media reported.
Taking advantage of heavy snowfall, several dozen people engaged in a snowball fight in a park in the Tophane district, adjacent to the very touristy Galata and Karaköy districts on the European side of the city.
For unknown reasons, the tone rose between two groups of men who began to confront each other with kicks and punches, said the Turkish news agency DHA. At least one of them then used a handgun, injuring seven people, according to DHA, which released CCTV images of the scene.
According to the Turkish Umut Foundation, there are about 25 million firearms in circulation in the country - for a population of 84.7 million - a figure far higher than the authorities' estimates.