9 killed, 30 injured as passenger bus falls into ditch in southern Türkiye

By Anadolu staff

MERSIN, Türkiye (AA) – At least nine people were killed and 30 others injured, including 13 of them seriously, when a passenger bus fell into a ditch after hitting a road barrier in the early hours of Tuesday in the Aydincik district of Türkiye's southern Mersin province.

The intercity passenger bus, on its way to southeastern Mardin province from western Mugla's Marmaris district, collided with a barrier at the Yenikas neighborhood's Sariyar Tunnel exit on the D-400 highway and crashed into a ditch.

After the accident, ambulances, gendarmerie forces, search-and-rescue teams, and fire brigade crews were immediately dispatched to the region.

The injured were transported to hospitals by ambulances.

Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan said the accident occurred on the Mersin-Antalya road, about 170 kilometers (about 106 miles) from the city center, at around 01:15 a.m. local time on Tuesday (2215GMT Monday).

Pehlivan also told Anadolu that 13 of the injured are in serious condition.

The public prosecutor is investigating the accident, the governor said, adding that the driver "lost control at the tunnel exit due to the downpour and wet surface."