Tragedy strikes near Türkiye’s Ankara: Many dead, injured as bus crashes into bridge

In a devastating accident near the Polatli district of Ankara, a passenger bus collided with a bridge pillar, resulting in at least nine deaths and 26 injuries.

The bus, operated by Oz Agri Ses Turizm, was traveling from Izmir to Agri when it veered off the road and struck the pillars near Olukpınar village in the early hours of the morning. The bus’s license plate number was reported as 04 AAV 951, but the identity of the driver has not yet been confirmed.

Emergency services, including firefighters, swiftly responded to the scene to rescue those trapped inside the bus. The injured passengers were transported to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.

Ankara Governor Vasip Sahin confirmed the initial casualty figures and mentioned that the route where the accident occurred has been closed to traffic.

Bus was fast

A witness, Murat Turkoglu, who was driving behind the bus, described the moments leading up to the crash: “We left Temelli together, driving closely behind one another. The bus was going a bit fast, and about 3 to 4 kilometers before here, it started swerving before crashing into the bridge. Debris from the bus hit our vehicle. We flashed our lights and honked, but the driver didn’t notice.”

Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.