'Speeding van' crash kills 10 migrants in Turkey

Turkish officials say a van carrying dozens of migrants ignored orders to stop and sped past a police checkpoint in northwest Turkey before crashing into a wall. Ten migrants were killed and some 30 others were injured in the crash.

The governor's office for Edirne province said the incident occurred on Wednesday in the town of Meric, near Turkey's land border with Greece. It said the van's driver lost control at the town's main intersection and crashed the vehicle into the wall of a store.

"The vehicle driver didn't heed the gendarmerie warning telling him to stop and tried to make a fast escape only to hit a shop", the governor’s office said in a statement.

The provincial governor, Ekrem Canalp, visited the crash scene, Turkey’s Daily Sabah newspaper reported.

There was no immediate information on the injured migrants' conditions.

Most migrants try to enter European Union member Greece from Turkey by sea, making a relatively short crossing to nearby Greek islands while others opt to cross via the longer northern land route.

Edirne province borders both Greece and Bulgaria and has become a transit point for migrants and refugees trying to cross into the EU.

Meanwhile, some 3,771 migrants and refugees were arrested in Turkey over the previous week, the Turkish Anadolu news agency reported.

Refugees often claim abuse at the hands of Greek and Turkish authorities.

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