Nineteen killed in migrant vehicle crash in Turkey

AFP  |  Istanbul 

Nineteen people, including children, died on Sunday when a vehicle carrying migrants reportedly heading for EU member plunged off the highway into a waterway in western Turkey, said.

The vehicle, believed to be a lorry, was travelling on a highway in the region close to airport when it flipped over and fell into the channel several metres below, state-run agency said.

The nationality of the migrants was not made clear. Nineteen people were killed, the agency said, lifting an earlier toll of 15, while 11 more were wounded.

Turkish television pictures showed the stricken wreckage of the vehicle, which was reduced to by the impact of the crash.

Large numbers of emergency service personnel were sent to the scene.

The DHA agency said that the vehicle was headed for the coast of the region, from where the migrants planned to take a boat to Greece's

Samos is just a few kilometres north of Turkey's that juts out from the Izmir region.

is a key transit points for migrants from troubled countries in the Middle East, and seeking a new life in

A million migrants crossed from into in 2015, mostly by boats, in a crisis which forced a deal between and the EU to stem the flow of people.

Numbers have fallen since but people are still undertaking what is a highly perilous journey.

According to UN figures, more than 24,500 migrants have arrived in by sea so far this year, with 118 people losing their lives via this route.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Sun, October 14 2018. 15:05 IST