Bus crash kills eight Syrians in Turkey’s south

The minibus reportedly picked up its Syrian passengers from the Yayladağı district on the Turkish-Syrian border and headed to the center of the province. The incident happened near the Şenköy neighborhood and the minibus fell 30 meters. 

Eight people, including two children, died at the scene and 18 were injured. A large number of ambulances and rescue teams were sent to the scene and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals. 

Gendarmerie and rescue teams carried out a search in the area to check for dead or injured people.

An investigation has been launched to determine the person who helped the Syrians enter Turkey illegally and who the driver was. 

Yayladağı Mayor Mehmet Kalkan visited the site of the accident and obtained information from the teams working there. 

“It’s a difficult and painful situation,” Kalkan told journalists, adding the Syrians were receiving treatment in hospitals in Hatay. 

“I wish health for the injured. However, our transporter friends should report the ones who entered the country in illegal ways to the police and gendarmerie. Accidents won’t happen if there are no illegal transports like this. We don’t have the exact information on where they crossed the border, but we can say that they’ve entered from Yayladağı,” he added.