Amid ongoing crackdown on Kurds, Turkey mulls renewed peace talks with PKK

At least 22 people were injured in western Turkey on Thursday when a tour bus with a number of Japanese tourists onboard overturned on a highway, Agence France-Presse reported, citing local media.

One of them was seriously injured after the driver lost control of the bus, which overturned in Afyonkarahisar, the DHA news agency said.

It was not immediately clear how many passengers in total were on the bus.

Contacted by AFP, a spokesman from the Japanese Embassy confirmed the accident but only said several Japanese tourists were injured, without providing a precise number.

"The number of Japanese citizens on the bus was 21. Several Japanese were injured and taken to hospitals," the spokesman said.

DHA images showed a white bus lying on its side in the middle of a field.

Bus travel is a popular mode of transportation in Turkey, and accidents are fairly common.

In August a bus crashed on a highway bridge near the capital of Ankara, killing nine people and injuring 26.

In May 10 people died and 40 were injured when a bus, two cars and a truck collided on a road near the southern city of Mersin.