Twelve people died and 26 others were injured when a bus carrying migrants crashed in eastern Turkey on Saturday night, local media reported, quoting authorities in the prefecture of Van.
The bus was carrying Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Afghan migrants.
Among the dead were 11 migrants and a person who helped organised their illegal transport, the authorities were quoted as saying on Sunday.
The injured were taken to hospital and the owner of the bus was detained, they added.
Situated near Turkey’s eastern border with Iran, the city of Van is used as a crossing point for migrants on their long journey to reach Europe, with many coming from Afghanistan.
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), firefighters, gendarmerie and medical teams were sent to the scene after reports of the crash.
The minibus caught fire and the flames were extinguished by firefighters. The injured were transferred to nearby hospitals. The identities of those killed in the accident were not immediately clear.
In July 2020, a boat carrying up to 60 migrants sank on Lake Van.
Turkey has been a key transit point for migrants aiming to cross into Europe. Migrants, mostly from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, regularly cross the Iranian border into Turkey on foot before being ferried west to cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.
