The tragic incident occurred early Sunday morning on the Denizli-Aydın Highway near the Sarayköy district. The Pamukkale Turizm passenger bus, driven by 50-year-old Mustafa Fevzi Merdun, was en route from İzmir to Antalya carrying 38 passengers and three crew members when it lost control and struck the highway barriers, News.Az reports, citing A Haber.
The impact triggered a violent fire that quickly engulfed the vehicle.
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Emergency response teams, including firefighters, medical personnel, AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority), and gendarmerie, rushed to the scene. While firefighters managed to extinguish the intense blaze, the vehicle was reduced to a charred metal shell.
Authorities confirmed that the driver and seven passengers lost their lives in the tragedy. Among the victims was nine-month-old Eyüp Miraç Şen, who tragically passed away in his father’s arms. The other victims have been identified as Merve Erik, Fatma Kartal, Gülitay Boğa, Zehra Eyiol, Hayriye Arıkan, and Civan Şen.
The 33 injured passengers were rushed by ambulances to nearby hospitals across Denizli for treatment. The bodies of the deceased were taken to the Denizli Forensic Medicine Institute morgue for autopsies.
Following a four-hour closure to allow emergency teams to clear the wreckage, the Denizli-bound side of the highway has been reopened to traffic. An official investigation into the cause of the crash is currently underway.
