Train Hits School Bus in Turkey

16/04/2004| IslamWeb

At least seven children have died after a train crashed into a school bus at a railway crossing in Turkey. The overnight Izmir to Ankara express hit the minibus, which was taking children to school in Temelli, about 64 kilometres (40 miles) west of Ankara. The official Turkish news agency said seven died, but some reports suggest up to 10 children may have been killed. Emergency services are said to be working at the scene and ferrying the injured to nearby hospitals. Television footage from the scene showed school books scattered around the wreckage of the bus. Railway spokesman Mehmet Ayci told Reuters news agency: "We fear the death toll will rise." NTV Television said there were no reports of injuries on board the packed commuter train, whose driver has been taken for questioning. In another accident on Friday, north east of Ankara, 11 people died and 28 were injured in a collision between a double-decker bus and a lorry, according to Anatolia news agency. Both vehicles are said to have caught fire. **PHOTO CAPTION*** The school bus was hit by a packed commuter train. (BBC)