At least 11 people have died and a further 27 have been injured in the district of Akhisar, in the western Turkish province of Manisa, in western Turkey, after a tourist coach travelling from the city of Bursa was violently rear-ended by a lorry whilst the bus was carrying out a dangerous manoeuvre on the motorway, causing a serious crash in which both vehicles overturned.
The accident occurred at around 11.30 this morning, near the Akhisar toll booth on the Gebze-Orhangazi-Izmir motorway, according to the Turkish news agency DHA. The accident involved a coach travelling from Bursa towards Izmir and a truck. The force of the impact caused both vehicles to overturn onto the central reservation.
According to initial investigations into the incident, the coach had missed the exit for the Akhisar toll booths and the driver attempted to take the exit by reversing on the motorway, when it was struck from behind by a lorry loaded with timber.
11 dead and 27 injured, one of whom is in a critical condition
The tragic toll from the accident currently stands at 11 dead and 27 injured. The bodies of three of the victims were taken to the mortuary of a private hospital in Akhisar, whilst the other eight were taken to the mortuary at the Mustafa Kirazoğlu State Hospital, also in Akhisar.
The gendarmerie’s investigation was continuing in the early afternoon at the scene of the accident, whilst road maintenance crews began clearing the carriageway to reopen the motorway.
The Manisa Governor’s Office issued a statement regarding the tourist bus accident in Akhisar, reporting that “Today, at 11.11, a report was received of an accident involving a tourist bus and a lorry travelling from Bursa towards Izmir, near the entrance to the Akhisar exit. Medical and rescue teams have been dispatched to the scene, and efforts to assist those affected have begun immediately. Eleven people have died in the accident and a further 27 have been injured. The injured have been taken to hospital. We extend our condolences to the families of the deceased and wish those injured a speedy recovery”.
The coach was carrying a group of tourists to Pamukkale
Turkey’s Health Minister, Kemal Memişoğlu, spoke via his social media account about the condition of those injured in the Manisa accident, reporting that, of those receiving hospital treatment, one is in a critical condition, whilst 18 have moderate injuries and a further eight are making a good recovery and are doing well. “I extend my condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives and wish those injured a speedy recovery,” the minister added.
The identity of the driver of the tourist coach has been revealed as Metin Yavuz, who was also the organiser of the tour, on which, according to the governor of Manisa, a total of 34 passengers were travelling, bound for the hot springs at Pamukkale in Denizli. Meanwhile, the public prosecutor’s office has issued arrest warrants against the drivers of the bus and the lorry involved in the collision, and the Turkish Ministry of Justice has assigned three prosecutors to the investigation into the accident.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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