Bus and truck drivers arrested over Akhisar crash that killed 11

The tour bus driver M.A. and the truck driver H.K. detained after a collision in Manisa’s Akhisar district that killed 11 people have been arrested by a court.

Two of the three suspects detained over a crash in Akhisar, in Türkiye’s western Manisa province, that killed 11 people and injured 27 have been arrested: tour bus driver M.A. and truck driver H.K. The bus owner and backup driver, M.Y., was released under judicial control.

The crash occurred on Oct. 11 at the junction linking the Gebze-Orhangazi-İzmir Motorway to the Akhisar toll booths. The tour bus, traveling from Bursa to Denizli, reportedly missed the exit and was reversing on the motorway when a truck coming from behind hit it, causing it to overturn.

The drivers’ statements

In his statement to the gendarmerie, bus driver M.A. reportedly said he reversed and tried to pull into the emergency lane after passengers told him they had missed the junction, and that the collision happened at that moment.

The tour bus that overturned in the Akhisar crash

Truck driver H.K. said he noticed the bus in his lane only at the last second and had no time to swerve left.

Initial expert report

An initial expert report found that bus driver M.A. failed to comply with the regulations on reversing and maneuvering, while truck driver H.K. bore secondary fault for exceeding the speed limit. The investigation is ongoing.