Death toll rises to 26 after avalanche hits eastern Turkey

At least 26 people were killed and 53 injured on Wednesday after an avalanche struck rescue teams in Turkey's eastern province of Van, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said in a written statement.

The teams were on a search-and-rescue mission to find two people trapped in a previous avalanche that occurred late on Tuesday, when the second avalanche happened, Xinhua quoted Van Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez, who warned of the danger of further avalanches.

More than 30 persons were saved from under the snow and sent to hospital, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters, noting that there were still people buried under the snow.

At least five people were killed in the Tuesday avalanche that struck a minibus and a snow-clearing vehicle and seven others were rescued.

The avalanche struck the vehicles in Bahcesaray district along the Van-Bahcesaray highway while the vehicle was clearing snow near Karabet Mountain Pass at an altitude of 3,000 metres.IANS