Ankara, July 12 (IANS) At least 12 people were killed and 26 others injured after a minibus carrying illegal migrants crashed on Sunday in eastern Turkey.

A vehicle, carrying migrants in Muradiye district of eastern Van province near the Turkish border with Iran, caught fire after the driver lost control of the bus, the local governorate said in a statement.

The organiser of the transfer and 11 migrants died in the accident, 26 injured migrants are taken under treatment at nearby hospitals, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The owner of the bus has been detained.

Turkey has been a transit point for migrants mostly from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan who aim to cross into Europe.

--IANS int/rs