Turkey: 17 people, mainly migrants, killed in road accident

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A senior official says 17 people, mostly migrants, were killed in a road accident in the eastern Turkish province of Igdir.

Another 36 were injured in the accident late Thursday.

Igdir Governor Enver Unlu said Friday that a minivan packed with migrants hit a light pole and caught fire. Some of the victims died in the crash while others were killed when they were hurled into oncoming traffic and hit by another minivan that was also carrying migrants.

The state-run Anadolu agency said the migrants were from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran and that their vehicles had crossed into Turkey illegally from Iran.

Unlu said on arrival at the scene “we were faced with a painful migrant tragedy.”