A coach carrying Russian tourists plunged off an overpass near Turkey's southern resort of Antalya today, killing 16 people and injuring dozens more, the region's deputy governor said.
The early morning crash killed the Turkish driver and tour guide, while the remaining fatalities were Russian tourists who had been heading to Pamukkale in south west Turkey.
Antalya deputy governor Mehmet Seyman said 25 tourists were injured.
Antalya, on the Mediterranean coast, is one of Turkey's most popular tourist destinations, and visited every year by hundreds of thousands of mainly German, Russian and British tourists.
Russian president Dmitry Medvedev sent his condolences to the families of the dead, the Kremlin said, and ordered prosecutor-general Yuri Chaika to send investigators to Antalya to join Turkish colleagues in examining the causes of the crash.
Russian news agencies said the Emergencies Ministry would today send an airplane to Turkey with doctors, psychologists and equipment to transport the seriously injured.
Reuters