Istanbul bus crash: 11 people injured after umbrella attack on driver

A bus veered out of control, leaving 11 people wounded after the driver was assaulted with an umbrella on Friday (23 September).

Video shows the angry assailant wielding a large umbrella and hitting the driver, which caused him to fall forward and out of his cab, losing control of the vehicle.

The bus veered across lanes, crashing into oncoming traffic, hitting a double-decker bus and three cars in Istanbul's Acibadem district during the morning's rush hour.

TV footage showed the yellow bus having ploughed over three vehicles and crushing them, according to an AP report.

The accident brought traffic to a stand still for over an hour as medical teams worked to remove the injured from the pile-up.

The bus driver was among the 11 people wounded, although none were seriously hurt, said the Istanbul governor's office.

The passenger, identified as Murat A in the Daily Sabah, who attacked the bus driver was arrested. They reportedly argued when Murat A missed his stop and asked the driver to pull over.

The driver refused, resulting in the passenger losing his temper, lashing out with his umbrella and kicking the driver.

In Turkey, only a small number of public buses have reinforced glass panels to protect them against violent attacks.

The driver was unable to steer the bus, causing it to crash into steel barriers and then moving into other traffic lanes.

A passenger on the vehicle, Serdar Çengel, told reporters: "If the double-decker bus it crashed into did not slow it down, we would be facing a major disaster."