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15 Migrants Killed When Truck Plunges into River in Turkey

by AFP

   ISTANBUL --

   Fifteen people, including children, died Sunday when a vehicle carrying
   migrants plunged off a highway into a riverbed in western Turkey, state
   media said.

   The vehicle, believed to be a truck, was traveling from Aydin toward
   the Aegean city of Izmir when it flipped over and fell into the river
   several meters below, state-run Anadolu news agency said.

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

   The nationality of the migrants was not clear, nor was it known where
   they were heading.

   Turkey is a key transit points for migrants from troubled countries in
   the Middle East, Asia and Africa seeking a new life in Europe via EU
   member Greece.

   A million migrants crossed from Turkey into Greece in 2015, mostly by
   boats, in a crisis that forced a deal between Ankara and the EU to stem
   the flow of people. The 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
   Greece by sea so far this year, with 118 people losing their lives via
   this route.