ISTANBUL — A total of 18 Saudi tourists were injured in a bus accident in the northern Turkish region of Rize on Saturday, the Saudi embassy in Turkey said in a statement. Six Saudis are still receiving treatment at a hospital in the Rize city while all other injured Saudis have been discharged from the hospital, the embassy said. The bus, carrying tourists, including 23 Saudis, overturned after hitting a concrete barrier on the roadside in an agricultural area in Asmali Yarmak village in the eastern Black Sea region. The embassy said that it had received from the Turkish authorities on Saturday the information about a traffic accident involving a bus carrying several tourists including Saudi citizens, which resulted in injuries to a number of people, including Saudi citizens in the city of Rize in northern Turkey. It said that the embassy had provided all forms of assistance and reassured the health status of the injured and completed all the necessary procedures. The embassy said it is closely following up on their condition with the concerned Turkish authorities around the clock, and wished them a speedy recovery. The driver of the bus is also a Saudi national. The Saudi passengers, who sustained moderate to serious injuries, were given first aid by the Turkish medical team and then taken in ambulances to the nearby hospital. Meanwhile, Ramzan Yanik, head of Asmali Yarmak village, revealed details of the accident: "According to the information that I have received, the driver took a break for some time at the entry point of the village and then he continued to travel on the road. After covering a distance of 500 meters, he used the brakes excessively on a slope and that resulted in swerving and overturning the bus after hitting a concrete barrier on the right side," he said while noting that 23 passengers were rescued from the bus and the injured were taken to the hospital after giving first aid.
