Three people were killed and at least 20 others were injured in an intercity bus crash in Istanbul, Turkey, provincial authorities said.

"At 06:15, a bus traveling from Tokat to Tekirdag, carrying 35 passengers, crashed into a barrier on the TEM highway in Istanbul's Sancaktepe district after the driver lost control [of the bus]. According to preliminary estimates, three people were killed, at least 20 were injured," the Istanbul provincial authorities said in a press release.

The injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

An investigation has been launched.