ANKARA: A passenger bus veered off the road and crashed into a roadside ditch in central Turkiye 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, Gov. Mehmet Ali Ozkan said.

The bus was traveling from Sivas — some 240 kilometers (150 miles) 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.

The injured passengers were being treated in nearby hospitals and one of them was in serious condition, he said.

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

AP