12 dead after bus accident in Turkey

Istanbul, Aug 21, (dpa/GNA) – At least 12 people have been killed and 19 people injured, after a bus accident in Turkey, the Anadolu news agency reported on Monday.

According to the report, the bus drove off the road, shortly after midnight. Pictures showed the totalled bus in the ditch between trees.

Passengers reported being woken up by others screaming, to watch the bus hit the rail and drop down the slope, throwing people out of the bus.

The bus was on its way from the central Anatolian city of Sivas to Istanbul, about 900 kilometres away.

The accident occurred about 200 kilometres into the journey.

Media reports were speculating the accident may have been caused by negligence on behalf of the driver, who was killed in the accident.

The accident is under investigation.

The Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, and Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, expressed their condolences to the victims on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, among others.

The operator of the trip was the bus company Kamil Koc, which belongs to the transport company Flix.

GNA