One Dead, Nine Injured After Bus Crashes on Turkish Highway

A bus traveling from Istanbul to Iraq veered off the road on the Ankara-Niğde highway, resulting in injuries to 44 passengers and crew. The accident occurred around 4:30 PM, prompting an immediate response from police, gendarmerie, health, AFAD, and fire departments.

Among the injured was the bus driver, Yahya Akar, 45, who stated, "We are going from Istanbul to Iraq. Suddenly, I looked and we were in the ditch." A total of 44 individuals, including two drivers, a co-driver, and 41 passengers, some of whom were children, were transported to hospitals in Aksaray.

Tragically, one of the injured passengers, Hazim Ahmet Şahap, a father of two who was returning to his country with his family, died during treatment at Aksaray Education and Research Hospital. A photograph of Şahap with his wife, taken before their journey from Istanbul, has emerged as a poignant reminder of the loss. Two other passengers with serious injuries have been transferred to a hospital in Konya.

Currently, nine individuals remain hospitalized, while the rest have been discharged. The Provincial Gendarmerie Command is conducting a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the crash. The bus driver, Yahya Akar, is expected to be taken into custody and face legal proceedings once he is released from the hospital.

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We are going from Istanbul to Iraq. Suddenly, I looked and we were in the ditch.