Dozens Killed, Injured in Bus Crash in Turkey

VOA News
30 March 2018 (5:12AM)

At least 17 people died and 36 others were wounded when a minibus hit a light pole in eastern Turkey and caught fire, local media reported Friday.

The driver was among those killed, Turkish authorities said, and the injured, some in serious condition, were taken to Igdir State Hospital.

Igdir Governor Enver Unlu said that some of the victims died in the crash while others were killed when they were hit by another minivan that was also carrying migrants.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the vehicle that crashed late Thursday on the Igdir-Kars highway, was carrying nationals from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, who entered Turkey illegally from the Iranian border.

The minibus with a capacity for 14 people, was carrying more than 50, including women, according to the agency.

The Igdir public prosecutor has opened an investigation into the incident while officials sought to identify the driver.

Thirteen illegal migrants inside the other minibus were detained by security forces.

Road accidents are common in Turkey. A Turkish state broadcaster reported last month that 3,530 people were killed on the roads in 2017.