The video is dramatic. I can’t believe these men are alive:
Meanwhile a reporter was shot in the eye when his team of Turkish journalists, who were travelling from Gori to the South Ossetian city of Tshinvali, came under repeated fire.
In footage shot by a camera rolling in the back of their vehicle, the team’s driver, Levent Ozturk said: “Friends, I got hit on the head. I am OK now, but in a few minutes…” Guray Ervin, a cameraman, was struck in the shoulder.
The team can be heard reciting final prayers and seen desperately attempting to reverse out of the firing line. As the shooting comes to an end, they wave through the battered sunroof of their truck and shout “Press! Press!”
After the incident Mr Ervin said: “Some 10-15 soldiers sprayed our car with weapons for at least 4 or 5 minutes. I could not move the vehicle since the engine broke down. We shouted at the soldiers that we were journalists. We also took our t-shirts off and waved them out of windows. Some 4 or 5 minutes later, soldiers approached us.”
Neither man’s injury is life-threatening. After being taken to a makeshift hospital in Tshinvali, all the journalists involved have returned to Turkey.
2 Responses
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August 15th, 2008 at 6:50 am
Effective way to clean the conflict zone from critical foreign journalists.
November 24th, 2008 at 9:52 am
lol :) just lol