Rescue teams could not reach Çaldıran (Van) due to bad weather conditions. This prevented the recovery of some 13 people thought to have died because of the cold. No body has been recovered.

Gendarmerie teams were notified at the weekend about the need to send rescue teams in the area but they could not do so due to the heavy snow.

112 Emergency Service, AFAD, UMKE and gendarmerie teams, who were dispatched to the region on Monday morning, were unable to reach the region due to the snowstorm.

Local officials said that in the district of Çaldıran, 13 refugees were reported to have died and that teams would be sent again as the weather conditions improved.

Village headman Şaban Ülgen said that no work was carried out on the border.

The refugee tragedy occurred in the village of Saricimen, on 9 February. It was reported that the refugees who were trying to cross the border froze to death. 10 of the refugees were said to be Afghans and 3 from Kobanê.

The headman of Sarıçimen noted that there are 10 kilometers between the border and the village.

Ülgen added: "No frozen human body has been encountered at the border and around our village so far. We are discussing this issue with the governorships and the authorities."

37 Refugees died in Van in 2019

According to human rights defenders, at least 37 refugees died in Van in 2019. In July 2019, as a result of an accident involving a vehicle carrying refugees, 17 people died and 50 were injured.

Most recently, more than 30 refugees who were abandoned on the lake shore in Van on 9 February were found almost frozen.

Human Rights Association (IHD) Van Branch President Murat Meletti, said that on the Turkey-Iran border in the last three years, hundreds of people have frozen to death. "The bodies of people often appear when the snow melts," said Melet.

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