Ten killed as commuter train crashes into shuttle bus in southern Turkey

MERSİN – Anadolu Agency

The shuttle bus split into pieces after the serious accident in Mersin on March 20. AA photo

Ten people were killed and four injured after a commuter train crashed into a shuttle bus transporting workers to an organized industrial zone in the southern province of Mersin on March 20. Three of the injured, including the driver of the bus, are reported to be in critical condition.

The accident occurred as the bus was passing through a railway crossing near the Taşkent station located near an industrial zone between the cities of Mersin and Tarsus. The train connects the coastal city of Mersin and the inner Mediterranean agglomeration of Adana further north.

Ambulances were immediately dispatched while those injured were rushed to hospitals in Mersin.

“The area of the accident looks like a war zone. Those who are injured are receiving treatment from medical teams,” a Doğan News Agency reporter said.

Turkish State Railways said that an investigation had been launched, adding that the driver of the shuttle bus crossed the railroad without taking precautions.

However, witnesses said that the barrier at the crossing was open for vehicles.

Police have also launched an investigation into the causes of the accident and are examining if the officers at the railway crossing have committed negligence.

The two machinists of the train have been taken under a "precautionary" custody.

Traffic at the portion of the railroad between Mersin and Tarsus was temporarily has been temporarily halted after the accident.