Eight Syrian refugees killed, 48 injured in western Turkey bus accident
Seventeen children and one pregnant woman among those injured, officials say
At least eight people died and 48 others were injured when a passenger bus carrying mostly Syrian refugees overturned in Turkey's western province of Balikesir on early Saturday, officials said.
According to initial reports, the bus driver – Turkish citizen Yasar Ozkan, 63 – and seven Syrian refugees died at the scene near the Balikesir-Canakkale E-87 highway.
The injured were taken to nearby hospitals.
According to the police, seven of the injured are in a critical condition.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Havran district governor in Balikesir, Yasin Ozturk said: “Four female and three male refugees as well as the driver lost their lives [in the accident]."
One of the 48 injured was from Algeria, Ozturk added.
Seventeen children and one pregnant woman were among those hurt, the governor added.
Turkey is a key route for Syrian refugees fleeing civil war en route to Europe; the country currently hosts 2.4 million such refugees.
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