DENİZLİ, TÜRKİYE / MENA Newswire / — Eight people, including a nine-month-old baby, were killed and 33 others were injured when an intercity passenger bus struck highway barriers and caught fire in western Türkiye’s Denizli province, authorities reported. The crash occurred early Sunday near the Tırkaz area of Sarayköy district on the Denizli-Aydın Highway, a main route linking the Aegean region with destinations farther south.
The bus, operated by Pamukkale Turizm, was traveling from İzmir to Antalya with 38 passengers and three staff on board when it hit the roadside barriers at about 1:40 a.m. The impact was followed by a fire that spread through the vehicle. Emergency calls brought medical teams, firefighters, police, gendarmerie units and disaster responders to the crash site.
The dead were identified as driver Mustafa Fevzi Merdun and passengers Merve Erik, Fatma Kartal, Gülitay Boğa, Zehra Eyiol, Hayriye Arıkan, Civan Şen and Şen’s infant son, Eyüp Miraç Şen. The bodies were taken to a forensic morgue for autopsy procedures and identification work. Authorities said the injured were transported by ambulance to hospitals in Denizli.
Emergency crews reopen highway
Fire crews extinguished the burning vehicle, which was left heavily damaged after the crash and blaze. AFAD, Türkiye’s disaster and emergency management authority, was among the response teams dispatched to the scene along with medical rescue personnel and security forces. The Denizli-bound side of the highway was closed while crews worked at the site and the wreckage was removed.
The road was reopened to traffic after about four hours, once recovery and clearance operations were completed. Authorities said 17 injured passengers were discharged after treatment, while 16 remained in hospitals. Three of those still under care were reported to be in critical condition. The figures reflected the latest confirmed hospital status released after the initial emergency response.
Crash inquiry under way
Investigators opened an inquiry into the cause of the crash. Accounts taken from injured passengers included statements that the bus had stopped shortly before the accident after a complaint about the air conditioning system, but authorities had not confirmed any cause. The vehicle’s reserve driver, who was resting in a compartment at the time, was rescued after the crash.
The accident occurred during a period of heavy long-distance travel in Türkiye, when many people return from holiday visits or travel between major cities and resort destinations. Officials completed their on-site work after the vehicle was removed from the highway. The confirmed casualty toll remained at eight dead and 33 injured, including passengers and crew aboard the İzmir-Antalya service.