Six migrants freeze to death trying to cross into Turkey from Kurdistan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Six migrants died from the cold weather as they tried to cross into Turkish territory from the Kurdistan Region, a local official told Kurdistan 24 on Tuesday.

A group of 10 people was stranded near the Mergasur River at the border between Kurdistan and southeastern Turkey, Mergasur district chief Ghafour Malswari revealed.

Six of the citizens froze to death, while the other four managed to reach Turkish soil where they were immediately taken to a hospital, Malswari added.

“A number of citizens wanted to cross into Turkey illegally but were stranded near the Mergasur River at the border between Turkey, where the cold killed six of them,” he told Kurdistan 24.

Three of the four others who made it across are in critical condition, the official said, adding that “we are working to bring them back to Kurdistan.”

According to Malswari, the deceased included four children, one woman, and one male who had traveled from Fallujah to cross the border into Turkey.

Mergasur is a town located north of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, near the border with Turkey.

Temperatures in the town usually fall below zero degrees Celsius during the winter time.

Over the past few years, many people, including Kurds, Iraqis, and Syrians have attempted to cross through rivers and seas to reach Europe via Turkey.