23 killed in avalanche in eastern Turkey

The second avalanche buried more than 50 personnel of search and rescue crews that had been combing an avalanche zone in eastern Turkey on Wednesday. The governor of Van, the eastern province in which the avalanches occurred, said 25 people had been rescued and taken to the hospital., according to Daily Sabah.

Mehmet Emin Bilmez told Anadolu Agency (AA) that additional search and rescue teams and 15 ambulances had been dispatched to the area following the second avalanche as at least 12 people were killed, bringing the total number to 23. He warned that more avalanches could occur, cautioning locals to follow the instructions of the emergency personnel on-site.

The crews had been looking for two missing people after an avalanche buried a passenger minibus and a snow-clearing vehicle in an area of Van province. Seven people were rescued and five bodies were found under the avalanche after the incident late Tuesday.

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