Her father blames himself: 12-year-old Yüsra could not return to school
A tragic bus fire in Istanbul’s Eyüpsultan district has claimed the life of 12-year-old Yüsra Seraç, a seventh-grade student who was returning to the city with her family for the start of the new school year. The child was identified after relatives provided DNA samples because the severity of the fire initially made visual identification impossible.
The accident occurred on the Northern Marmara Motorway near the Işıklar toll booths. A passenger bus traveling from Diyarbakır struck roadside barriers and caught fire shortly afterward. Two people died in the blaze. Because the bodies were severely damaged, they were transferred to the Forensic Medicine Institute for identification.
Yüsra had been traveling with her five-member family. According to relatives, the family had gone to Diyarbakır because the mother was unwell and was returning to Istanbul as schools were preparing to reopen. Yüsra was enrolled at Bahçelievler Mehmet Akif Ersoy Secondary School and was expected to begin the seventh grade.
Her father, Mesut Seraç, was also injured in the crash. After being discharged from hospital, he went to the Forensic Medicine Institute to provide a DNA sample. Relatives said he managed to pull several passengers out of the burning vehicle, including his wife and two of his children, but was unable to save Yüsra.
Kasım Seraç, a relative of the family, described the desperate moments inside the bus. He said Mesut Seraç first tried to help other children who were trapped nearby. The doors reportedly failed to open, while passengers repeatedly hit the windows in an attempt to escape. By the time someone managed to open a window from outside, the interior had already filled with thick smoke, making it almost impossible to see or breathe.
“Everyone was rescued, but unfortunately his daughter remained inside,” the relative said. He added that Mesut Seraç was in an extremely distressed condition and could barely speak after the incident.
The family’s relatives questioned whether excessive speed, insufficient rest and possible technical or safety failures contributed to the accident. They claimed the driver may have been driving for many hours without a break or a change of drivers. One relative also alleged that the driver left the scene after the collision. These claims are expected to be examined as part of the official investigation.
Another family acquaintance said Mesut Seraç had helped rescue between five and seven people. Despite this, the grieving father continued to blame himself, repeatedly saying that he had saved others but could not save his own daughter.
The tragedy has also raised concerns about emergency exits and passenger safety on long-distance buses. In a fire, even a short delay in opening a door or breaking a window can have fatal consequences. Vehicles used for intercity travel are expected to contain functioning emergency exits, fire extinguishers and clearly marked evacuation systems. Investigators will need to determine whether those systems worked properly during the crash.
The condition of the bus, the speed at which it was traveling and the driver’s working hours are among the issues likely to be reviewed. Authorities may also examine whether the vehicle received the required technical inspections and whether the route was being operated in line with legal rest requirements.
The second person who died was identified as a 54-year-old woman. Her husband also went to the Forensic Medicine Institute to provide a DNA sample. Once the DNA matches were completed, officials began the process of releasing the bodies to their families.
For the Seraç family, the journey that was supposed to bring them back to Istanbul before the school term became an irreversible tragedy. Yüsra’s empty place at school and the loss suffered by her parents and siblings have left relatives demanding that all possible causes of the accident be investigated.
Family members said those responsible should face the appropriate legal consequences if negligence is established. They emphasized that determining how the fire spread, why passengers struggled to escape and whether preventable mistakes played a role is essential to preventing similar disasters in the future.
The incident has caused deep sorrow among the family’s relatives and the local community. While the investigation continues, the family is facing both the physical consequences of the crash and the devastating loss of a child who was preparing to begin another year of education.