The accident occurred on the Aksaray-Ankara route at around 7 a.m.

The bus, carrying 44 passengers, departed from the western province of Balıkesir and was en route to the Cappadocia region.

Another driver reported that the bus driver was asleep during the tragic accident. “The bus passed by me and then started swerving left and right. I turned on my headlights and sounded the horn,” he said, stressing his efforts to avert the incident.

“I was asleep and had my seat belt on. I saw the vehicle flip over,” said passenger Ramazan Durmuş, recalling the moments of the incident.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted a statement regarding the matter, noting that three of the 34 injured individuals were seriously wounded as a result of the accident.

“A tour bus, which had 41 passengers, two drivers and one guide on board, veered off the road and overturned. I pray for God’s mercy for our late citizens and a quick recovery for those who are hurt,” the statement said.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç also posted a statement, noting, «Three public prosecutors have been assigned as part of the Aksaray Public Prosecutor’s Office’s judicial inquiry into the bus accident that happened on the Aksaray-Ankara highway.”