The vehicle carrying undocumented migrants in Van province catches fire after falling into a ditch.
A minibus carrying undocumented Afghan, Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants has crashed in eastern Turkey, killing at least 12 people and injuring 26 more, according to local authorities.
The crash occurred Sunday morning in the Muradiye district of Van province, near the Turkish border with Iran, where the vehicle caught fire after falling into a ditch, the agency said. Reuters news two local sources with information on the subject.
The identities of those killed in the crash were not immediately clear, both sources said, adding that the owner of the bus had been arrested.
Television broadcasts showed survivors being treated by the side of the road while emergency workers went through the burned remains.
The remains were seen body bags and personal belongings were scattered nearby.
Muradiye District Governor and Deputy Mayor Erkan Savar, Provincial Gendarmerie Commander, Brigadier General Yuksel Yigit and District Gendarmerie Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Evren Kaptan, were at the scene receiving information from officials.
Migrants, mostly from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, regularly cross the Iranian border into Turkey on foot before being transported west to cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.
The planned U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has given further impetus to young people attempting the mountain route, according to the Ankara-based Center for Asylum and Migration Studies.
In June 2020, more than 60 migrants drowned in Lake Van when the ship sank.
