31.05.2026 07:40
In the Sarayköy district of Denizli, 8 people, including the driver and a 9-month-old baby, lost their lives and 33 were injured when a passenger bus caught fire after hitting barriers. Following the tragic accident, the bodies of those who lost their lives were removed from the bus, which had been reduced to a pile of metal.
In the accident that occurred on the Denizli-Aydın Highway, a passenger bus caught fire after hitting barriers, resulting in the deaths of 8 people, including the driver and a 9-month-old baby, and injuries to 33 others. The bodies of those who lost their lives were removed from the bus, which turned into a pile of metal after the fire, and taken to the morgue.
BUS CAUGHT FIRE AFTER HITTING BARRIERS
The accident occurred around 01:40 at night near the Sarayköy district of the Denizli-Aydın Highway. According to the information obtained, the passenger bus with license plate 45 BAH 834, belonging to Pamukkale Turizm and operating the İzmir-Antalya route, hit barriers near the Tırkaz neighborhood after its driver, Mustafa Fevzi Mertun (50), lost control of the steering wheel. The bus caught fire due to the impact and quickly turned into a ball of fire.
Upon notification from other drivers who witnessed the accident, health, police, gendarmerie, and firefighting teams were dispatched to the area. First aid was administered to the injured who managed to get out of the bus at the scene.
DRIVER AND 9-MONTH-OLD BABY ALSO LOST THEIR LIVES
After the fire was extinguished by the firefighting teams, examinations revealed that 8 people, including bus driver Mustafa Fevzi Mertun and a 9-month-old baby, had lost their lives. 33 people were also injured in the accident.
The injured were taken to hospitals in Denizli and Sarayköy by ambulances dispatched to the area and placed under treatment.
BODIES REMOVED FROM THE BUS
The bodies of the 8 people who lost their lives were removed from the bus, which had turned into a pile of metal, following the work of the crime scene investigation teams. The bodies were then taken to the morgue of the Denizli Forensic Medicine Institute Group Presidency.
PASSENGERS TRAPPED AT DOOR AREA
It was learned that there were 38 passengers, including one baby, and 3 crew members on the bus operating the İzmir-Antalya route. According to initial determinations, it was found that some passengers died after being trapped in the door areas during the panic caused by the fire that started after the accident.
Gendarmerie teams conducted a search in the grassy and bushy area along the highway in case there were other dead or injured from the accident. The investigation into the accident continues.