Seven people, including two children, were killed when a minibus carrying passengers to an engagement party overturned in southeastern Turkey on Aug. 15, 2026, authorities confirmed. Nine others were injured in the crash, which occurred around 9 a.m. local time in the Lice district of Diyarbakır province.
The minibus, which was transporting 18 people from Diyarbakır to the province of Muş for an engagement ceremony, lost control and flipped into a roadside ditch. Diyarbakır Gov. Murat Zorluoğlu said the cause was a blown tire that sent the vehicle tumbling down an embankment, according to Turkish news outlets Cumhuriyet, Sözcü and Sabah.
Seven Family Members Among the Dead
All seven fatalities were members of the same extended family. Two people died at the crash site, while five others succumbed to their injuries after being rushed to hospitals. The victims were identified as five siblings — Veysi Şaylıkay, 42; Vedat Şaylıkay, 35; Vasviye Şaylıkay, 42; Özcan Şaylıkay, 38; and Nahide Şaylıkay, 48 — along with their two young relatives, three-year-old Zeyd Kayra Şaylıkay and 12-year-old Nazya Demirhan. The group had been traveling together to celebrate what should have been a joyful family milestone.
Following autopsies, the deceased were laid to rest at Yeniköy Asri Cemetery located in Diyarbakır’s Bağlar district, per Sözcü.
Emergency Response and Hospital Treatment
Authorities mobilized quickly after the crash was reported. The Diyarbakır Governorship said medical teams were dispatched to the region immediately after the accident and the injured were transferred to hospitals. The nine survivors who sustained injuries were transported to area medical facilities, where their conditions were being closely monitored.
Gov. Zorluoğlu personally visited the injured in the hospital to check on their conditions and gather updates on their recovery. The governorship confirmed that the medical care of those still undergoing treatment was being tracked closely by officials and that the judicial investigation would be meticulously continued.
Investigation Underway Into Crash
Turkish authorities launched a judicial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident. The Diyarbakır Governorship stated that the necessary investigation has been initiated and offered condolences to the families of those who lost their lives while wishing a speedy recovery to the injured citizens.
Gov. Zorluoğlu expressed his sympathies to the victims’ families and hope for the recovery of the injured, stating on X that he extends his sympathies and wishes for strength to the bereaved relatives, friends and the entire community, asking God to grant mercy to the deceased citizens and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured and still undergoing treatment.
The investigation has since produced an arrest. The minibus driver, identified in Turkish court records only by the initials D.K., was jailed pending trial on Aug. 17, on a charge of causing multiple deaths and injuries through negligence.
A Family’s Celebration Turned to Tragedy
The human toll of the crash was made all the more devastating by the circumstances surrounding the trip. The passengers had set out early that morning to attend an engagement party, a celebration that brings families together. Instead, the occasion became a scene of mourning.
The death of three-year-old Zeyd Şaylıkay stood out as the youngest of the seven victims claimed by the crash. Officials expressed grief over the loss of life, with the governorship offering condolences to the families and emphasizing that both the investigation and the care of survivors would continue to receive attention from provincial authorities.
