In Van province, vehicles carrying undocumented immigrants caught fire after falling into a ditch.

According to local authorities, a minibus carrying undocumented Afghan, Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants crashed in eastern Turkey, killing at least 12 people and injuring 26 others.

Two local sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the accident occurred on Sunday morning in the Muradiye district of Van province near the Turkish-Iran border, where the vehicle rolled over and caught fire.

Two sources said that the identity of the victims in the accident is not yet known, adding that the bus owner has been arrested.

Television broadcasts showed that when emergency rescuers were screening among the burnt wreckage, survivors were being treated on the side of the road.

Body bags can be seen in the wreckage, with personal belongings scattered nearby.

Muradiye District Mayor and Deputy Mayor Erkan Savar, Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Brigadier General Yuksel Yigit and District Gendarmerie Commander Evren Kaptan corrected the information received from officials at the scene.

Migrants mainly come from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. They often walk across the Iranian border into Turkey, and then travel west to cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.

According to the Asylum and Immigration Research Center in Ankara, the US plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan provides more motivation for young people trying mountain routes.

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