At least 16 Russian tourists were killed in the southwestern Turkish region of Antalya after a tour bus fell into a river, the Russian consul in Antalya, Mirjalol Husanov said on Tuesday.
Local media reported that the incident occurred at 5:30 a.m. local time [02:30 GMT]. The bus was en route from the resort of Alanya to the town of Pamukkale when it veered off the road into the Aksu River 15 meters below.
Husanov said 25 Russians were also injured in the crash. He said emergency services arrived at the scene in a matter of minutes, and the injured were provided with medical aid and delivered to the hospitals.
The diplomat said the deputy governor of Antalya, local authorities and Russian consular officials had gone to the scene of the accident.
"The process of establishing the identities of the victims and the injured has started," Husanov said.
He said the consulate was in contact with the Mediterranean hotels association, the tourists' insurance company and tour operator Pegas, which organized the trip to Pamukkale, a popular tourist destination famed for its hot springs and natural limestone terraces.
The Turkish NTV channel said the death toll may increase as the bus took the roadside barrier with it to the bottom of the ravine, where it had "turned into a pile of metal."
A six-kilometer traffic jam developed at the scene of the accident, which initial investigations suggested was caused by the driver falling asleep at the wheel.
ANTALYA, May 25 (RIA Novosti)
