10 dead in traffic accident in Mersin, investigation launched

According to initial findings, ten people were killed and 40 injured in a four-vehicle pile-up on the Tarsus-Adana-Gaziantep (TAG) highway in Mersin, southern Turkey, on Sunday.

A passenger bus belonging to the company Star Diyarbakır, based in southeastern Turkey, crossed into the oncoming lane and crashed into two cars and a truck.

Following the notification, numerous teams from the 112 emergency service as well as the police and fire brigade were dispatched to the area.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç posted about the accident on his social media account X: “We are all deeply saddened by the mass traffic accident that occurred on the TAG highway in Yenice district of Tarsus district of Mersin.”

“The Tarsus Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a judicial investigation into the accident and three prosecutors have been assigned to it under the coordination of the Tarsus Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.”

“I wish Allah’s mercy for our citizens who lost their lives in the accident, patience for their families and a speedy recovery for our injured citizens.”

In a post on his social media account X, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “I pray for the mercy of Almighty Allah for our citizens who lost their lives in the tragic traffic accident on the Tarsus-Adana-Gaziantep highway. Our relevant authorities have urgently launched the necessary investigations into the accident. My condolences go out to the families of our deceased citizens and our nation.”

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz also expressed his condolences to the injured and the families of the victims.

In a post on his social media account X, Yılmaz wrote: “I wish God’s mercy to our citizens who lost their lives in the tragic traffic accident on the TAG highway in Mersin, patience to their families and a speedy recovery to our injured. We regret our loss.”

Treatment of the injured continues

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also posted an update on the accident on his social media account X: “In a chain accident involving a passenger bus on the Mersin-Adana highway, 10 people lost their lives and 40 people were injured, 9 of them seriously. The treatment of the injured continues in our hospitals, especially Mersin City Hospital, Mersin Tarsus State Hospital and Adana Çukurova State Hospital. I express my condolences to the relatives of the fatalities and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya also made a statement on the incident: “A passenger bus traveling from Diyarbakır to Istanbul collided with two cars and a truck on the highway in the Yenice district of Tarsus district of Mersin province.

“According to initial reports, unfortunately ten of our citizens were killed in the accident. I wish Allah’s mercy on our citizens who died in the accident and patience for their families. I wish our injured a speedy recovery.”

Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan confirmed that the sad accident occurred in the city and said: “I wish God’s mercy on the deceased and recovery to the injured.”