At least 11 people are dead and 27 others injured when a tour bus collided with a truck on a highway in western Türkiye’s Manisa province on Sunday, local authorities said.
The accident occurred near the Akhisar toll booths on the Gebze-Orhangazi-Izmir Highway at around 11 a.m. local time, according to a statement from the Manisa Governor’s Office.
The tour bus was traveling from Bursa toward Izmir in western Türkiye when it collided with the truck near Akhisar, in Manisa province, the statement said.
Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said 27 people had been hospitalized following the crash, adding that one of the injured was in critical condition, 18 were in moderate condition and 8 were in good health.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said emergency response teams from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), police, gendarmerie, firefighting services and emergency medical services had been dispatched to the scene. He added that the government was closely monitoring the response in coordination with the relevant authorities.
Manisa Governor Vahdettin Özkan visited the crash site and received information from officials. He said emergency response teams had worked in coordination to reach the scene and assist those affected.
Özkan added that the investigation was continuing under the coordination of the chief public prosecutor’s office. He also stressed the importance of complying with traffic rules, describing the accident as a tragic reminder of their potentially life-saving importance.
The bus driver was arrested following the crash, according to reports. The investigation into the accident is ongoing.
