A six-month-old baby and several British tourists have been injured after a safari bus overturned during an excursion in Turkey’s popular holiday destination of Alanya.
The crash occurred around 3:00 p.m. local time near the Manavgat District after the open-top safari vehicle reportedly veered off a winding road and rolled several times before coming to rest on its side.
According to reports, 12 passengers, including six children, were on board the custom-built safari bus when the accident happened. A 13-year-old girl was reportedly trapped beneath the overturned vehicle, while several passengers were thrown from the bus through its open windows.
Emergency responders, including ambulances and Turkish police, were dispatched to the scene to rescue the injured and transport them to hospital for treatment.
The vehicle was said to have been travelling at about 40mph when it attempted to overtake another safari bus participating in a convoy excursion. Reports indicated that the buses were engaged in a recreational “water fight” when the driver lost control after colliding with roadside branches.
A British tourist travelling in another bus within the convoy described the incident as traumatic.
“It was absolutely traumatising. There was lots of blood and broken bones,” the witness told The Sun.
“The bus rolled over about three times and landed on its side.
“It just kept rolling off road for about 70 metres.
“There was a kid hanging with his seatbelt around his neck. We had to get him out by climbing from the top of the bus.
“Kids were crying, even kids that weren’t on the bus that crashed were shaking because of how sudden the crash was.
“People immediately rushed out of the other buses to help them.
“When we managed to get people out of the bus their faces were covered in blood and were screaming.”
The witness, a father of four who was on an eight-day family holiday in Alanya, said emergency services took about 30 minutes to reach the remote crash site.
“It took about 30 minutes for a convoy of ambulances to arrive because we were in the middle of nowhere.
“While we were waiting people were shell-shocked and just laid on the side of the road in agony, in tears.
“One man was sat on the side of the road screaming in pain because his ankle was displaced in the wrong direction.
“The parents of children were crying too. They all escaped death.
“It’s ruined our holiday. We don’t feel safe on these roads. On the replacement bus back to the hotel we were all shaking in fear,” he said.
The tourists were participating in an open-bus safari excursion organised through Alanya-based holiday booking company Tony Montana Excursions.
The eight-hour tour, which costs about £20 per person, takes visitors through the Taurus Mountains and includes stops at Green Lake, Manavgat Waterfall and the ancient city of Seleucia. The itinerary also features an onboard “water battle” between vehicles during the journey.
Reacting to the incident, Tony Montana Excursions said it operates only as a booking agent and is not directly responsible for conducting the tours.
“Tony Montana Excursions acts as a booking agent for tours around the Antalya Region. We do not directly have involvement in the day’s activities.
“Ourselves, along with the majority of local tour operators, provide a platform connecting tourists to facilitating businesses.
“First and foremost our primary concerns are the welfare of all participants. We have as of yet not spoken to all parties and feel it inappropriate to make comment at this time,” the company said.
Authorities in Turkey are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash. Initial reports indicate that all injured passengers survived the accident, although several sustained serious injuries requiring hospital treatment.
