As many as 65 irregular migrants, including 12 Bangladeshis, were held in Turkey’s eastern province of Van on Saturday.
The provincial security directorate in a statement said security forces stopped a suspicious minibus in the Ipekyolu district, reports Anadolu Agency, the state-run news agency of Turkey.
Twenty-four Afghans, 20 Pakistanis, 12 Bangladeshis, seven Syrians, and two Myanmar nationals were on the 15-person minibus. All of them entered Turkey illegally.
Law enforcement arrested the minibus driver who was identified as MG.
Later, the authorities referred the irregular migrants to the provincial migration directorate.
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, has been a key transit point for irregular migrants looking to cross to Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
In 2018, around 268,000 irregular migrants were held in Turkey, according to the Interior Ministry, and over 336,000 have been held this year so far.
