The bus was making an overnight journey from the Turkish capital Ankara to the western city of Bursa. Local officials said the driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle while traveling on the motorway and crashed into trees along the roadside in the central Anatolian province of Eskisehir.

The bus was carrying families bound for a half-term skiing trip at the popular Uludag ski resort, Eskisehir governor Ozdemir Cakacak was quoted as saying by Turkey's private Dogan news agency. The agency did not report if any children were among those killed.

The road was empty and was neither wet nor frozen, Cakacak said. The driver and his assistant, who were lightly injured, have been detained and prosecutors have launched an investigation.

dv/jlw (AFP, dpa)