ISTANBUL, March 30 (Xinhua) -- A police officer was killed and 16 others were injured on Monday after a service vehicle carrying law enforcement personnel crashed in Türkiye's largest city of Istanbul, according to the provincial governor's office.

This photo taken on Aug. 21, 2023 shows the site of a traffic accident in Yozgat province, central Türkiye. (File photo: Xinhua)

The accident occurred at approximately 9:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) at the Basaksehir-Habipler junction on the Northern Marmara Highway, the office said in a statement.

The shuttle bus veered off course and struck highway barriers. One of the wounded remains in critical condition.

Emergency medical teams and police units were dispatched to the site immediately after the crash, and the injured were transported to nearby hospitals.

Local authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The Northern Marmara Highway is a vital transit artery that bypasses the city center, connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, and carrying heavy volumes of commercial and commuter traffic.