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17 bodies of drowned Afghan refugees returned home from Turkey to date: MoFA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that the bodies of 17 Afghan migrants who drowned in Lake Van in Turkey have been repatriated so far.
The Ministry identified 34 Afghan citizens who drowned along with dozens of migrants after their boat capsized in the lake last month.
The Ministry said, so far, 61 bodies in total have been recovered from the lake.
Giran Hiwad, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that five victims have been buried in Van city in Turkey, adding that the remains of six other victims had also been buried but exhumed and will return to Kabul on Thursday at the request of relatives.
Six more bodies were currently in mortuaries in Istanbul in Turkey and will also be sent back to Kabul, said Hiwad.
According to reports, around 80 migrants mostly from Iran and Afghanistan were crossing Van Lake on a fishing boat from Iran, trying to avoid police checkpoints on the highways, on their way to Turkey.
Turkey, which is a key crossing point for migrants attempting to reach Europe, hosts about 3.7 million Syrian refugees.