Antalya passenger minibus bursts into flames; all evacuated safely

A passenger minibus traveling in Antalya, Turkey, was engulfed in flames on Tuesday, forcing an emergency evacuation. The driver, Bayram Özen, was taking passengers from the Manavgat East Garage to the Kızılağaç Mahallesi neighborhood when smoke began billowing from the engine compartment shortly after departure.

Özen promptly steered the vehicle onto a side road in the Ulualan area to prevent potential harm to other vehicles. Upon opening the engine cover, the situation escalated rapidly as flames erupted. The driver prioritized the safety of his passengers, immediately opening the doors and assisting them and their luggage out of the vehicle.

Despite the swift response from the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department in Manavgat, the minibus was completely destroyed. Özen expressed his profound relief that no one sustained any injuries during the incident. "My solace is that no one was harmed," he stated, recounting the harrowing experience.

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I noticed the smoke after getting on the bypass road and entered the side road to avoid damaging other vehicles. When I arrived at our current location, I got out of the vehicle and looked at where the smoke was coming from. As soon as I opened the engine cover, flames erupted. The doors were closed, I forced them open and my first action was to get the customers out. Then we unloaded the suitcases from the luggage compartment. Despite the fire department's intervention, the vehicle was completely destroyed and became unusable. My solace is that no one was harmed.