Bus carrying illegal refugees topples, one killed

AKSARAY

A bus carrying Syrian refugees and police accompanying them toppled over early on Sept. 13 in the Central Anatolian province of Aksaray, killing one refugee and injuring many others.

The bus was carrying 22 refugees and 17 police officers, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The bus took off from Istanbul on Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. and was heading to the southern province of Hatay, which borders Syria.

Approximately five minutes past midnight on Sept. 13, the bus toppled on a highway in the Aksaray province.

The injured were dispatched to various hospitals. However, Syrian national Zenettin Hafez succumbed to his injuries at the Aksaray Training and Research Hospital.

The driver of the bus was detained, the agency said, adding that some of the injured were in a critical situation.

“Upon the demand of the provincial directorate of migration management, police had been assigned by our provincial police department for the transfer of foreign national individuals to the Hatay province,” the Istanbul police department said on Sept. 13 in a statement.

The refugees were said to have criminal records on various charges and were to be transferred to a camp in Hatay, said Anadolu Agency.