12 killed, 20 injured after bus carrying migrants crashes

According to the details, the crash happened in Van province's Muradiye district near the Turkish border with Iran.

Among the dead were 11 migrants and a person who helped organize their illegal transport, the authorities were quoted as saying.

The injured were taken to hospital and the owner of the bus was detained, they added.

The vehicle caught fire after tumbling into a ditch, two local sources with information on the matter told an international news agency.

The identities of those killed in the accident were not immediately clear, the sources said.

The owner of the bus had been detained.

Turkey has been a key transit point for migrants aiming to cross into Europe. Migrants regularly cross the Iranian border into Turkey on foot before being ferried west to cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.

The planned U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has given added impetus to young men trying the mountainous route.

In June 2020, more than 60 migrants drowned in Lake Van when their boat sank.