A minibus in northwestern Turkey's Balıkesir collided with a milk collection truck Saturday, leaving eight people dead and 10 injured in a horrible car accident.
Six people, including the 38-year-old minibus driver, were pronounced dead on the scene of the accident where 12 people were injured, the truck driver among them.
The injured were taken to hospitals in Dursunbey and Kepsut districts, and after their initial treatments, were transferred to Balıkesir Atatürk City Hospital. Two of the injured could not be saved despite the medical interventions.
The treatment of the other 10 injured in the hospital continues.
A large number of gendarmerie, police, fire brigade, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE) and 112 Emergency Health teams were dispatched to the accident site.
The bodies of those who lost their lives in the incident were taken to the hospital morgues.
The truck and minibus were taken from the accident site with the help of a crane. Controlled transportation continued from a single lane on the road for a while, which returned to normal after the completion of cleaning work.
It was learned that the people in the minibus set off from the rural Kızılöz District of Dursunbey to attend a wedding in Balıkesir.
Balıkesir Governor Hasan Şıldak, who came to the region and conducted investigations, expressed his sadness over the accident in a statement to journalists.
Şıldak stated that the accident occurred at the 35th kilometer of the Kepsut to Dursunbey highway.
"The reason for the accident seems to be that the road was slippery due to rain and a lane violation occurred. Our traffic teams and gendarmerie are doing the necessary investigations. We are with our citizens right now. All their needs will be met, all measures will be reviewed. If there is a mistake in terms of traffic and the road here, we will examine them," he said.
"Our traffic teams, gendarmerie, health, UMKE and AFAD teams are at work. At the moment, we are also taking care of the relatives of those who lost their lives and those who were injured. I wish Allah's mercy on those who lost their lives and my condolences to their relatives. I wish a speedy recovery to our injured."