55 irregular immigrants were found crammed into the trunk of the bus after the driver had disobeyed the stop warning and fled the scene in the Tatvan district of Turkey’s eastern Bitlis province

Police are seeking the driver accused of human trafficking, the governor’s office said in a statement.

The migrants, who are all Afghan nationals, will be transferred to Van’s removal center after routine procedures in the police department are completed.

Historically, Turkey has been a country of origin, transit, and destination for migrants and was a crossroads between Europe and Asia.

Recent regional events have contributed to Turkey increasingly becoming a major destination and transit country for those fleeing conflict, poverty, and disasters.

Turkey hosts one of the largest migrant and refugee populations in the world.

According to the official reports, 113,865 irregular migrants held across the country in 2020. (ILKHA)