4 Turkish soldiers, 2 civilians killed in bus accident

ISTANBUL – Four Turkish soldiers and two civilian drivers were killed in a traffic accident in southern Turkey, authorities said Monday.

The governor’s office in Mersin province said the cause of the accident was being investigated.

Turkey’s defence minister arrived in Mersin and said that, according to the initial information, the accident was caused by a technical failure. Hulusi Akar said 27 others were injured, with four soldiers in intensive care.

The soldiers were in a civilian bus carrying army personnel. The official Anadolu news agency said they were en route to being deployed to northern Cyprus.

Images from the scene showed a crane trying to lift an overturned bus on the side of a highway, surrounded by ambulances, police and bystanders.