A bus accident occurred early this morning in the outskirts of the capital city of Ankara, resulting in 11 fatalities and 26 injuries.
A passenger bus veered off the road and collided with a bridge support structure near the Olukpınar village in the Polatlı district. The bus, operated by the Öz Ağrı Seç Turizm company, was en route from İzmir on the western coast of Turkey to Ağrı in the far east of the country.
Emergency services responded to the scene, with firefighters working to rescue passengers trapped inside the bus. The injured were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment. The accident forced the temporary closure of the road in the area.
There were reportedly no skid marks at the scene of the accident, suggesting that it might be caused by the driver falling asleep. The authorities have not yet made clear whether driver was among the deceased.
The driver of a car following the bus who witnessed the accident said the bus was ‘swerving’ shortly before it struck the bridge. “The bus started to swerve about 3-4 kilometers before the bridge, then crashed. Debris from the bus hit our car. We tried to signal the driver with our headlights and horn, but they didn't respond,” said Murat Türkoğlu, as quoted by Anadolu Agency (AA).
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced on social media that the Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the incident. A deputy chief public prosecutor is overseeing the case, with three public prosecutors assigned to the investigation. (AS/VK)
