Bus driver, Halit EC, was taken into custody following the incident on Saturday, June 20
Credit: Hasan Basri Sönmez/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- At least five people have died after a tourist bus overturned during a sightseeing trip in Turkey on Saturday, June 20
- The driver seemingly “lost control of the vehicle, causing it to overturn into a garden by the roadside,” said the Isparta governor’s office
- He was taken into custody having suffered minor injuries in the deadly incident
At least five people died and 25 others were hospitalized after a tourist bus overturned during a sightseeing trip in Turkey.
The incident occurred on the Isparta-Konya D330 highway in Isparta Province at around 6:50 p.m on Saturday, June 20, the Isparta governor's office confirmed on X.
Upon arrival, police officers, ambulance crews and firefighters carried out "the necessary interventions" and provided medical aid to those in need. First responders determined that the driver of a minibus seemingly “lost control of the vehicle, causing it to overturn into a garden by the roadside.”
Four people died at the scene, while the 26 others who were on the bus were taken to hospitals in the Gelendost, Yalvaç and Eğirdir districts for treatment. According to Turkish news outlet Hurriyet, at least one other person has died since being transported to hospital.
Credit: Alamy
The deceased have been identified as Öznur Altuntaş, 37, Keziban Baysal, 60, Gülperi Ertürk, 77, and Meryem Dinç, 60, per the outlet.
The tourist bus was transporting people on an excursion from Konya to the historic village of Barla when the driver lost control of the vehicle for unknown reasons, Hurriyet, Internet Haber and Politika reported.
Having sustained minor injuries in the incident, bus driver Halit EC was brought into custody, per Hurriyet.
While it has been speculated that the driver lost control of the bus due to the road being slippery from heavy rain, an investigation into the incident remains ongoing, the outlet reported.
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Hasan Basri Sönmez, a member of the Turkish Parliament, confirmed the tragedy on social media.
“I have learned with profound sorrow of the tragic accident that occurred in the Bağıllı area of our Gelendost district, involving a tour bus carrying our citizens who had come from Konya to Barla for a visit,” he wrote on Facebook, as translated from Turkish. “I wish Allah's mercy to our citizens who lost their lives in the accident, patience and condolences to their grieving families and relatives; and a quick recovery to our injured citizens.”
“May our Lord protect our nation from all kinds of disasters and accidents,” he added.
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