12 dead as bus crashes off road in central Turkey

A passenger bus veered off the road and crashed into a roadside ditch in central Turkey on Monday, killing 12 people and injuring 19 others, officials said.

The driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle, which crossed into the oncoming lane and then plunged into the ditch near the central Turkish city of Yozgat, Governor Mehmet Ali Ozkan said.

The bus was traveling from Sivas — some 240 kilometers east of Yozgat — to Istanbul.

Ozkan said 11 of the passengers died at the scene of the crash while one died later in the hospital.

According to him, the injured passengers were being treated in nearby hospitals and one of them was in serious condition.

The cause of the crash was under investigation, Ozkan said, adding that it appeared to be the result of 'carelessness' by the driver.

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