Six people have died and another 43 left injured after a bus taking people to a wedding was hit by a truck.
A large lorry carrying sand lost control and veered into oncoming traffic in the incident, which occurred in the Honaz district of Denizli, Turkey at 5:00 am on Saturday.
The truck collided with the bus, killing five people instantly, reports the Daily Star. Another died shortly after.
The rest of the 43 passengers were admitted to hospital, with their present condition not yet known. One of the victims has been named by Turkish media as police officer Birol Kucuk.
Shocking footage from the scene shows the bus perilously dangling over a cliff edge at the side of the road, while passengers’ belongings can be seen strewn across the road.
Fire, ambulance and police crews also attended the scene, while local reports suggested fingerprint analysis may be needed to identify some of the bodies. The lorry was found by the side of the road in a ditch, and the driver was later named as Bekir Atman.
A criminal investigation has been opened by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Denizli. A spokesman said: “While the passenger bus with plate number 48 E 4505 was driving on the Denizli to Ankara highway, in the Ankara direction, at the Prison junction, the truck with plate number 34 DZP 704, coming from the opposite lane, broke the medians and passed the passengers.
A traffic accident occurred as a result of the crash of the bus. According to the initial findings, 42 of the 48 people on the bus were injured and 6 people died. An investigation into the incident was immediately started and 2 public prosecutors were assigned.”
Last month, a passenger bus veered off the road and crashed into a roadside ditch in central Turkey, killing 12 people and injuring 19 others.
Officials said the driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle, which crossed into the oncoming lane and then plunged into the ditch near the central Turkish city of Yozgat on August 21.
The bus was traveling from Siva, which is located around150 miles east of Yozgat, to Istanbul.
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