Aksaray bus crash injures 44, kills Iraqi passenger

A passenger bus traveling from Istanbul to Iraq overturned on the Ankara‑Niğde highway near the Babakonağı village in Aksaray on 3 July 2026. The driver, Yahya A., lost control of the Mercedes‑brand vehicle (plate 65 BJ 369) and the bus fell onto the roadside shoulder, breaking its front and side windows.

All 44 occupants – three crew members and 41 passengers – were injured. Nine victims remain under treatment, while the others have been discharged; two seriously injured patients were transferred to a hospital in Konya. Hazim Ahmet Şahap, a 47‑year‑old Iraqi who was among the injured, died at Aksaray Education and Research Hospital. The driver said, "Bir anda bir baktım şarampoldeyiz" ("All of a sudden I found myself on the shoulder"). Police, gendarmerie, health services, AFAD and fire crews responded, and investigations by the Aksaray gendarmerie and the public prosecutor have begun. The driver is expected to be detained after discharge.